The Curse
by xxfatal
Summary: NejiTen AU. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Hyuuga Neji discovers this the hard way. A tale of adventure, magic, and double meanings.
1. Temptation

**A/N: **In which I try my hand at fairytale AU crack fic of sorts. Someone tell me this is a _very bad _idea.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Naruto_, nor do I lay claim to any of the fairytale elements I utilize for the benefit of satiating this small insanity.

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><p><strong>The Curse<strong>

o

**Chapter 1**

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><p><em>Hyuuga Neji was cursed.<em>

Born into the Hyuuga clan on a particularly auspicious day, Neji was naturally gifted with the clansmen's deadly good looks. His eyes were like ivory moons, his hair dark and trailing like the night sky. His strength proved unrivaled, his eyesight a pride among even the best men of his clan. Girls would swoon at his feet, wishing foolishly upon ocean stars. Women much older than he would stray from their husbands, searing him with eyes full of thirst.

He paid them no heed. He was confident in his charm, and loved only himself, convinced he would remain this way forever.

One day, during a bout of swordplay, Neji was interrupted by the arrival of the eager Rock Lee, a friend and fist-fighter of incredible skill. Lee's coal-colored eyes glittered and a grin spread easily upon his features. He bid the Hyuuga join him to enjoy the town parade.

Neji was unwilling. Not a single strand of hair shook away from the ponytail at the base of his neck as he continued to brandish his blade. Lee ignored his friend's protests and hauled him from the training grounds to see the celebrations. "It is not a merely a parade, Neji," explained Lee. "Only once every ten years are you able to see magnificence of this caliber."

"There is no magnificence that I have not already seen," Neji coolly replied.

The roads were adorned in dozens of colors. Cheerful, boisterous noise scrambled down the street, mingling old voices with those of the new. Fire-breathers made grandiose displays in the middle of the streets, the flames teasing the hair of children and awing the rest. Magicians called for audiences, producing roses from doves, yanking rabbits from the ends of their wands.

Neji narrowed his eyes jadedly. He was unimpressed with silly theatrics. Lee saw this, and gestured to the peddler's marketplace, where tables of unimaginable wonders sat glowing and glimmering in the sunlight. Scoffing, Neji followed Lee into the cramped bazaar.

"You may let your eyes wander, but keep your discretion about you," counseled Lee. "My mother has warned that a great many of these peddlers are gypsies. Their wares may be charmed."

Neji's fair eyes surveyed the stalls with a measure of disdain. "Fear not, cautious friend. I will love none of it."

A village girl, homely in Neji's humble opinion, called his friend away before they could converse further. The further Neji wandered, the more spectacular the commodities became. Glass candles glowed from seemingly no source. Roses with dewdrops crooned soft music, and slowly his friend's warning drained faintly from his wits.

It was then that he fell in love. His eyes had never before beheld such exquisite perfection, and he knew he could not leave before he had claimed one for his own. Translucent bird ornaments hung from thin, white threads from small branches that lay across a peddler's booth, their eyes sparkled with gems. He reached for one before he could fathom the movement.

A hand stayed his. A soft, coy voice murmured calmly to him: "If you take one of my birds, you must give me something in return." His eyes darted to the speaker, who appeared as figure in gossamer cloak; a large cowl shielded all but a curved feminine mouth.

"I must have one," he said, commanding in tone.

"I will let you hold one, for a price," said the figure.

"So be it," said Neji, brazen and eighteen, fingers aching for the dainty treasures bobbing in front of him.

His hand was released. He snatched up a bird with great garnet eyes, and the essence of freedom flowed through his veins. Before he could savor the feeling a moment longer, the bird was taken from his grip. He felt emptiness and desire for the trinket roared hungry in his entire being.

"The price," the figure reminded him, "for the touch is a kiss."

A smirk played quickly on his features. He had been asked many a time for such a favor. He leaned across the table and pressed his lips to a shadowed cheek. The figure froze, a wispy gasp escaped from feminine lips. The cowl fell, golden hair tumbling richly around a bright, elfish face. Warm, orange eyes gazed rapturously at him.

"You are beautiful," said the woman.

He did not deny her. Neji plucked the bird from her delicate hands, and the sensation of flying engulfed him once more. He felt invincible.

"For the bird, I ask for your love," she demanded of him.

Neji glared at her scornfully. "I will not give you love, foolish woman. Ask for money, I will give it. Ask for a demonstration of my talents, I will show you. Ask for no more, for I am not so generous as to indulge your adoration."

Her eyes burned through him. "You, who have given me a kiss, clearly use your vanity to take what you wish. I was blinded; I admit it, for now I see that you have no love to give."

Neji's fingers clenched possessively over the bird. Her eyes became wrathful, hair radiant like the sun. The birds disappeared from the table, and great, hot wind wrapped around him like an oppressive cloak.

Her voice deepened, pitched with a feverish timber. "For the bird, I will take that which you love most, Hyuuga Neji." Suddenly, a pain so sharp and sudden that it nearly sent him to his knees blistered across his forehead. "Seek as you may, you will never find a way to regain what you have lost until the impossible is found, and your pride is paid in exchange."

Neji sank to his knees in agony, half-shut eyes meeting hers with coiled rage. Her orange eyes blinked red. Neji's vision went black.

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><p>He heard his name being called as if from a great distance. Blearily, he came to, opal eyes focusing on mirrors of onyx. It was dusk, and the stalls around him had vanished.<p>

"Lee."

"Neji." His thick eyebrows were drawn in concern.

Neji, aided by Lee, rose to his feet, still weaving from the ghosts of pain. His fingers squeezed reflexively. His gaze fell to the bird for which he had suffered still in his grasp. Suddenly, the memories flashed before him. He jerked his arm from Lee, fingers racing to feel his forehead. His features twisted in horror as he grazed raised markings.

"You were cursed by a sun fairy," explained a voice.

Neji's trenchant gaze fell on the homely girl he had seen Lee with earlier that afternoon. She bit her lip, worried she might have offended him. "What do you know of these markings?" he demanded. She flinched at the knife-sharp edge in his voice.

"Neji," interceded Lee, stepping in between them, "Sakura is a healer. She was an apprentice of the Lady Tsunade."

Neji stepped forward, forcing Lee to place a hand warningly on his shoulder. "You are a healer, girl. Tell me how to remove this curse."

She shook her head. "I know not how. I am a healer, not a practitioner of magic. I am sorry."

Neji glared at the helpless girl. "There must be a way."

"A witch, perhaps, another practitioner of the art, but I—"

"Enough of this, Neji," said Lee. "You must return to the Hyuuga grounds before your family worries further. I must accompany Sakura home."

Neji turned on heel, his fury boiling at the thought of returning with a stain on his name.

"Wait," said Sakura, "please take this." She produced a strip of cloth from her robes, handing it to him. "Cover yourself before the villagers see it."

His breath came deep and uneven. He tore the cloth from her hands and indignantly wrapped it across his brow. Clutching the bird, Neji walked home, the weight of his curse pressing him.

He did not leave his chambers that evening. He sent his servants away with a suitable excuse, ordering them to bother him no further. He dropped the bird in disgust on the bedside table, unable to bear looking at the gift that had caused him such strife.

Whirling toward mirror, he ripped off the bandage that had covered the mark. The mark came in a ghastly green color, etched in a square pattern with a tendril trailing off to each side of his forehead. He had never seen such a design. He sat himself at his oaken desk, pulling out tome after tome. In them, he found nothing to explain or remedy his current plight.

An hour into his search, a servant knocked upon his door. Neji's harsh reply did not invite further inquiry; nevertheless, the servant meekly responded, "Sir, Master Lee wishes to speak with you. He insists you will admit him."

Neji's fingers tightened around the headband and he swiftly bound it around his head. "Let him in."

The door swung open moments later, in strode Lee and one of Neji's attendants. Neji's piercing stare all but told the boy to leave. He bowed before scurrying to the door, shutting it and allowing the pair of men a semblance of privacy.

"Neji," began Lee, sinking anxiously into a chair, "tell me what has happened to you."

Neji collected the beautiful bird from his bedside and tossed to him. Lee's fingers wrapped nimbly around the airborne object. His expression went hazy and light, reminding Neji of his own experience. He snatched it away before Lee became too drawn in and relished the wonderful feeling of sailing in himself before dropping it onto the desk.

Lee blinked away the blissful, vacuous look from his face, and turned sharp eyes to his friend. "It is charmed."

Neji jerked his head into something that resembled a nod. "I could not part with it when I laid eyes upon it."

"Neji, I warned—"

"Mere warning is nothing against this foul magic."

Lee shuddered at the horribly alluring ornament, standing up as if to shake off his experience altogether. "What transpired between you and the sun fairy?"

"I did not know what she was, Lee," snapped Neji, flaring at the implication of imprudence in his friend's voice. Lee's calm look checked Neji's anger, and he relayed the fairy's words with a shade of reticence.

Lee's remained contemplative through the duration of the Hyuuga's story. Finally, he spoke. "She said, 'Until the impossible is found, and your pride paid in exchange.'"

"Yes." Neji achingly unwound the bind on his forehead and let it drop the floor.

"There may yet be something that can be done, Neji," protested Lee weakly. "A potion to cover it, I'm sure—"

"I want it eradicated," Neji hissed between grit teeth, "completely."

Lee took in a deep breath. "I will discuss this with my father. He knows a great many folk that may know something about the art. In the meantime, tell your family that I cut you during sword practice."

Neji's posture remained stiff and unyielding.

"Insist that you were distracted," he added impatiently. "My father will be discreet, I promise." Neji nod was as equally rigid, but he felt his insides ease somewhat. Maito Gai, Lee's adopted father, was a trustworthy man, one of few that Neji held in high esteem. "I must go before your servants become curious. I will come see you tomorrow, with flowers, of course, to earn back your good graces." Neji hated Lee's often misplaced sense of humor.

As the door shut behind his visitor, the flames on the candles flickered, then extinguished. Neji stood in the suffocating dark, and wondered of his fate.

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><p><em>To be continued.<em>


	2. Banishment

**Chapter 2**

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><p>Neji's injury garnered attention, much to his annoyance. His uncle, head of the clan, insisted on sending him a healer. He rejected the offer, claiming he had already seen Sakura about the injury, which was no lie.<p>

"I find your wound unusual." Neji's eyes narrowed at the younger of his two cousins, Hanabi. She was highly observant and shrewd, as opposed to her soft-spoken elder sister. "No one can inflict so much as a single slice on you, and Lee is a poor swordsman," she continued flatly.

"I was distracted, cousin," Neji replied coolly.

"Hanabi, please," murmured Hinata. Hanabi's calculating eyes slid to her sister in challenge, but she remained silent. Hinata's worried glance was not lost in Neji's peripheral vision. Neji, for his part, simply ignored it.

"Sir, Master Lee has come for a visit. He brings his apologies." The servant's face was completely obscured with a large explosion of brightly-colored flowers.

Neji rose, ignored the ridiculous bouquet, and excused himself from the presence of his esteemed relatives. He met Lee at the entrance. "Shall we walk?" offered Lee.

Neji flicked his gaze to a nearby attendant. "Bring my sword." They departed before long, taking the side gates to a field that was used by the Hyuuga clan to practice their horse-riding. Because of the darkening clouds that signaled impending rain, the field was empty as far as the eye could see.

"My father sends his regards."

"Send mine with you when you return."

"Of course." Lee surveyed the path before continuing, after ascertaining its desertedness. "My father will inquire on your behalf, but the task will require time. Magic is a tricky business, and all the gypsies left yesterday evening. We will not be seeing them for another decade."

"I understand. I appreciate the effort," replied Neji gruffly.

"Last night, my father and I did some deciphering on your fairy's message." At Neji's glance, Lee continued. "Their words are literal and binding, Neji. No amount of power can change a declaration spoken in magic. My father is convinced there may be a way to release you from your curse." Lee coughed, producing a slip of paper from his pocket. He did not seem comfortable speaking of the arts. "'Until the impossible is found,'" recited Lee. He handed Neji the list.

Neji's hard, opal eyes scanned the contents. "The skirts of the seven sister stars, the mouth of the River of Dreams, the end of a phoenix's life, a fairy's soul, a witch's heart." Here Neji's lips thinned into a hard line, and he read no more. "These are delusions, Lee." He thrust the parchment back into his companion's hands.

"Only here, perhaps," said Lee, watching him with an indecipherable expression.

Neji turned a sharp look to his companion. "No." What Lee suggested was dangerous and, above all, downright mad. Magic did not flourish in the sprawling capital of the Land of Fire; it was treated with wariness and trepidation. However, it was said that, beyond the capital's borders, there existed lands wherein magic was not only accepted, but celebrated. But Neji would not go to the Wild Lands. Only a fool would consider such a journey, away from all they have ever known in the capital, to seek what would likely end in death or destruction.

Lee slowly shook his head, as he, too, realized the folly of his proposition. "Then, Neji, we must wait."

But waiting did not soothe the burn of shame etched across his forehead.

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><p>Days of waiting did nothing but agitate the ill-tempered Hyuuga. His clansmen were becoming increasingly suspicious of his condition. Their affable jests had long yielded to narrow looks and cautious pressing. Neji did not know how much longer he could conceal the mark. In a fit of impatience, he rode to the town in order to call on Sakura, the healer. She lived in an undistinguished section of the capital, amongst shopkeepers and peddlers. Neji's arrival sent a murmur of gossip along the street, but he paid them no heed. Commoner's rumors were beneath his notice.<p>

The quaint shop door opened with faint creak, and a pair of green eyes peered at him, first in welcome, then, upon a second look, in uneasiness. "Sir Hyuuga." She did not bow to him, for as a healer, her title necessitated indiscriminate treatment for all, excepting no one. "Please, come in." She opened the door further into the threshold, allowing Neji, with his tall frame, to duck into her humble adobe. It was sparsely furnished, betraying her habit to leave at a moment's notice. The counter along the wall was littered with medicinal herbs in jars and bundles; a mortar and pestle sat at its end.

"Is there something I might help you with, Sir Hyuuga?" inquired Sakura, gesturing to a seat far more worn than Neji cared to sit upon.

Turning, he gestured to the cloth banded across his forehead. "This," he began abruptly. "Have you any news on how I will be able to remove it?"

"Ah," she said, averting her eyes from the tender spot out sympathy and respect, "I fear not. If this had been a flesh wound—"

"There is nothing, then," interjected Neji hollowly. He knew she could do nothing; he had known long before, yet he still chose to come, on some half-formed hope that there was something else she could offer—alternatives, no matter the price.

"Nothing," she echoed softly, in a manner that reminded him of the way another healer, just like her, had declared his late father's body irredeemable. "I am sorry." Neji suppressed a wave of helpless anger, the same anger of his young orphaned self. Without another word, he swept toward the door. Healers were useless; in everything and anything that ever mattered, they could do nothing.

"My teacher, the Lady Tsunade—" He stopped, a hand hovering over her tarnished, bronze doorknob. Finding him receptive to her words, Sakura continued. "If you could find her, she may be of more help. She travels the world. She has seen many things, and cured the incurable."

"Where," demanded Neji brusquely, "will I find the Lady Tsunade?"

Sakura shook her head sadly. "That, I do not know. We have not spoken for years, not since I became a healer of his place. She is an unpredictable, nomadic woman. We parted ways at the base of Mount Myouboku."

"I see," he said, privately frustrated that she could tell him no more. With a swift turning of the knob, he bid her a good day.

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><p>"Will you not spar, cousin?"<p>

Neji continued to clean his blade, ignoring the imprudence of his youngest cousin's question. Hanabi went over to his side, her eyes, like his, hard like granite, but colored like marble. "Tomorrow," Neji conceded, when it became clear she would not leave him without an answer.

Her eyes darted to the headband, boldly and shamelessly. "The training grounds have been remarkably tedious without your presence." Hanabi knew no swordsmanship, although since youth, she had been invited to watch. Had she been born a male, Neji had no doubt that her skills would have rivaled his own. When her remark produced no visible effect, she continued, "Has a single mark turned you into a coward?"

Neji's hands stilled against the metal at the term. He searched her face for signs that she knew of his curse, his jaw growing tight at the thought that someone he implicitly trusted—Lee? Gai, perhaps? That useless healer?—would reveal his miserable fortune.

Hanabi, however, continued, misunderstanding his reaction. "Fight him, then. Lee will not prevail a second time against you." She said this with certainty, the same certainty he possessed. Lee had never prevailed against him, not in all his years as a sparring partner. Though she mentioned Lee, Neji did not fail to note the skepticism in her voice. His fabrication, in the face of the girl who observed all, was tested to its very limits. Lee was currently seeking word of the elusive Lady Tsunade, but in these few days, the whispers and rumors had lead to nothing, nothing at all.

"Lee will not fight me again, until I have healed," replied Neji, returning to his work. "He is an honorable fighter."

Hanabi circled the workspace, idly tracing over the various weapons and instruments that only Hyuuga Neji laid claim to. She swiftly about-faced, and candidly remarked, "You are hiding something, cousin. And sooner or later, one of us is bound to find out. You would do well to remember that we of the Hyuuga clan are far from blind."

"I will remember, Hanabi," responded Neji, meeting her gaze with a cool look. She had warned him out of concern; nevertheless, her words sent a shadow of foreboding over his evening.

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><p>Lee awoke, not to the thundering snores of his father, but to the frenzied gallop of horse hooves against the dirt road that attended his dwelling. With the practiced fleetness of a natural-born fighter, Lee was up and armed before the sound had a chance to grow closer. Lee flew down the stairs, a sword which he rarely used strapped to his waist, and his gauntlets strained and on, ready to strike should the need arise.<p>

His father stood, unsurprisingly, next to the door as the gallop drew to an abrupt stop just outside their home. Gai turned to him, the laugh lines around his eyes and mouth smoothed from a blending of seriousness and lucidity. "Lee, gather your belongings. You do not have much time."

Lee, not fully understanding, yet knowing somewhere in the haze of the night exactly what was occurring, returned to his room and collected what he knew he would need. When he reappeared at the bottom of the stairs, he saw his father sitting next to an unsettled Hyuuga Neji; they were speaking in low, urgent tones. Rather, Gai was speaking; Neji sat still like a statute, absorbing his words.

At the sound of Lee's approaching footsteps, Neji stood. "Lee." His voice was reedy with unspoken torment.

"Neji, my friend." Lee did not embrace him, but he squeezed his shoulder in reassurance.

"They have seen it," Neji whispered, voice harsh and coarse from the force of his shame. "I am no longer welcome in the Hyuuga clan."

Lee nodded, as if he understood, although he did not. His father, he knew, would never exile him, no matter how great the folly. "What will you do?" He exchanged glances with his father. He asked, yet he already knew, had known. His father had predicted, on the very same day of the curse, that this would happen.

"I must seek a cure to the ends of this earth, Lee, until I am rid of this," Neji said heavily and with difficulty, as if it had taken him an entire night to come to this conclusion. "Until I am freed from this baneful existence, I cannot return to my home."

Lee put a hand on his shoulder. "Speak no more, Neji. I will go with you." He turned to his father, who nodded solemnly, as if he expected no less than this display of loyalty from someone he called his own son. "Father, I leave you."

Gai placed a hand on both their shoulders, his voice deep and strong. "Travel safely. The roads beyond the capital are imperiled with vagabonds and, yet worse, creatures that do not normally exist beyond the realm of fantasy."

"But Mother—"

"Lee, go now," insisted his father. "I will explain everything to your mother, but if you do not leave posthaste, I fear there will be greater consequences. In time, the council elders may find Neji's exile too light a sentence for what he has done."

Lee tearfully embraced his father. "I will return, Father. I promise you."

"I hold you to that promise, my son. Go."

No other words were needed. Neji and Lee took their horses and rode into the night.

_To be continued._

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><p><strong>AN: **It just took me over two months to get this updated. I have no excuses, except that the muses can be a fairly fussy bunch. The title has been changed from _For That Which You Love Most_ to _The Curse_, for convenience's sake. And Tenten's appearance is right around the corner, I promise. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading.


	3. Challenger

**Chapter 3**

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><p>The moon cut harshly through the night sky above them. The sleet-colored stars offered familiarity and direction, but gave nothing in comfort. They rode in silence. Neji, the banished, nursed his disgrace in utter solitude. Lee, who could do little to raise the young man's spirits, had long ceased coaxing him into speaking. The sprawling capital and its environs shrunk to mere specks behind them, entombing them in the dark road. The horses dared not go into the forests, forcing their riders to take a circumventive route along the gleaming river that ran along their path like a grisly spectator.<p>

Lee knew without speaking for whom they were searching. In the capital, despite his most valiant efforts, he had discovered next to nothing concerning Lady Tsunade's whereabouts. The woman was legendary, yet for all her fame, untraceable. His father had advised him that to find the celebrated healer, he must first find the celebrated bard that knew and sang of all her miracles, the traveling sage Jiraiya. Jiraiya, whose love of verse was superseded only by his love of women, had not been seen in the capital for decades, through no fault of his own. His arcane tales and flagrant debauchery were not welcome in a society such as theirs, and so the bard contented himself in plying his trade amongst the smaller townships, such as Waterborough to which they were now headed.

However, Lee could claim no certainty in the safety of their current route. Absent of sunlight, the forests were dangerous things. But even Lee, whose courage purported no deficiencies, was well aware of the risk they took in trekking lesser roads in a company as spare as theirs. Vagabonds and creatures, his father had warned them. Lee's grip on the reins tightened just in time. His horse jolted, rearing on her hind legs with a frightened whinny that cracked through the night like a whip. Lee's eyes scoured the deserted highway for a source, but saw nothing aside from Neji's own difficulties in controlling a similar reaction in his own.

"The river!" Neji cried suddenly. Lee fell back from the riverbank, his eyes fixed to the portentous shape curling out of the river's glittering surface. Under the oppressive cloak of night, nothing of its form was distinguishable, save for the twin horns on its narrow head and the iridescent scales that seemed to glow like coals in a hearth. The pair sat frozen, beholding its long, serpentine shape as it neared; the water seemed to fall away like teardrop diamonds from its skin. Its long maw opened to reveal a row of razor-sharp teeth.

Lee's horse bucked, causing him to shout. In a single, fluid motion, the creature shot forward, flashing its silver talons as it came to a stop before them. Neji, who could move his steed no closer, leapt off and drew his sword. The creature roared, with a strength that reminded Neji of an ocean storm. His arms and legs weakened, as if his resolve had been sapped from his very limbs.

_Do not raise your blade to me, mortal._

In a single, coiled strike, Neji's blade snapped in two as it took the creature's blow. Neji threw himself back, clutching the impotent hilt of his father's only bequest. Fury and despair poured forth from his eyes as he met eyes with it.

_Thank me, cursed one._

The creature descended into the river's depths and disappeared. Neji stared into the glassy, rippling river, the ancient voice ringing in his head like a blast of thunder. "Did you hear—" He did not finish his thought, for he saw Lee struggling through fits and starts to placate his braying mare. Neji shook himself, rose to his feet and collected the naked blade from the grassy incline.

Lee ran to him, his eyes turbulent with horror and pity. "Neji, your sword—" he began brokenly, until Neji silenced him with a hand.

"It is not irreparable damage," he said quietly, his eyes soft and intent as he gathered the two pieces together and wrapped it in his traveler's cloak. "I must have it mended before we can continue." He called back his horse, and when it came, soothed it with a steady stroke against its forehead before he was allowed to hop abroad.

"We must ride away from this river," Lee said, his voice steady despite the lack of color in his countenance. "We shall seek the nearest town." As they rode into the rosy-fingered dawn, Lee hoped for Neji's sake that there existed a blacksmith worthy of the coming task.

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><p>Riverborough was an inconsequential, bustling municipality that could have hardly existed on a map. Neji's horse, marked white with nobility, drew all sorts of unwanted attention as it clambered down the narrow streets. Lee rode ahead in order to inquire about the town's local blacksmith. Soon enough, Lee reported to him that, in fact, Riverborough possessed no blacksmith, to which Neji's mood instantly soured.<p>

"However, I am told that there is a bladesmith here, whose skill comes highly recommended on all counts," revealed Lee with a jolly and satisfied twinkled in both eye and voice.

The smithy stood firm, capable, and proud in the street; it towered marginally over the squat buildings on either side of it, and emanated a certain warmth in its soot-stained forge. Neji sent Lee in with his sword to query on his behalf, for he did not wish to explain his and its sad and diminished condition. Lee found Neji hovering beside the unimpressive marketplace, having decided to restock their provisions, but lacking the bargaining talent required to procure it. By the time Lee had reached him through the crowded boulevards, distaste and discomfort seeped from every pore in Neji's face. He had endured the bumbling oafs jostling about him, the shrill women thrusting their wares at him, and the children prancing around him asking for coin or candy.

"I have the bladesmith's word that it can be done; we are to return for it before the sun sets," Lee informed him before the worry could move his friend's tongue. "They tell me Waterborough is a day's ride from here. We must purchase horse meal and other victuals before we may go." Neji nodded stiffly. "Come, this is not as difficult as it may seem."

Lee was an able navigator, though his enthusiasm for trifling objects often distracted him. Neji had long tired of Lee's ebullient descriptions of what appeared to be the most frivolous or inane of knickknacks. "Might this splendid article of clothing come in a green color?" bubbled Lee, dark eyes shining with desire.

"That suit is an atrocity, Lee, and leaves nothing—_nothing_—to the imagination," Neji deadpanned. "I cannot allow you to squander our currency on this useless garment."

"But," Lee protested, eyes rounded like a doe's, "with this, one has no need of tunics or breeches, for this serves as both!"

"I will not travel with a man who wears neither tunics nor breeches." And that was the final word.

* * *

><p>As the sun drew near to the horizon, they ambled back to retrieve Neji's missing sword. Smoke curled from the chimney of the brick and timber house that sat behind the bladesmith's forge, a tiny but respectable thing. Lee strode forward into the establishment. In moments, a whole and polished replica of his father's sword caught the sun's failing lights, casting golden glows along the road.<p>

"Exquisite craftsmanship, is it not?" spoke Lee with awe and fervor as he watched Neji turn the metal in his hands.

"Beautiful," said he who used to believe in no beauty but his own. "I must meet this bladesmith for myself. He deserves a payment beyond what he has been given." Neji entered the forge, his heart high and generous.

The inside of the forge roasted from both the heat of coals and the beating of the sunlight. A well-loved anvil stood like a centerpiece, surrounding by walls of flawless weaponry. A woman, or a girl, for he could decide, turned at his coming. Her appearance stunned him, not because of aesthetic potential he saw in her face, but because of her peculiar form of dress. She stood straight and tall, a black-spotted apron over a pair of man's breeches. She wore her tunic with sleeves rolled to the elbow; burns and scars littered her arms like medals would decorate a soldier's uniform. She smiled at his approach in genuine welcome, cheeks dimpling prettily. She tucked a tumbling lock of unremarkable brown hair behind her ear, abandoning the tools she had been organizing in the rack. "Hello," she greeted him pleasantly. "You must be the owner of that superior blade."

"Yes," said Neji, eyes flicking over her to observe the otherwise empty forge. "Where may I find the mender of my sword?"

She laughed, startling him. She laughed without restraint; it was unlike the sedate tittering of ladies in the Hyuuga court. He thought it crass, though he also thought it suited her. "I am the mender you seek."

He stared her in disbelief. "You?"

"Yes," she replied, rubbing her soiled hands against the equally soiled apron. "I'm afraid my work is nothing compared to my father's." For the first time since he laid eyes on her, she dropped her eyes to the floor and the smile melted away like candle wax. "Unfortunately, he has taken ill this past fortnight. It was he who you met this morning," here she glanced at Lee, "but, alas, his strength was not what it once was. He could not do what you asked of him, so I acted in his stead."

Lee seemed taken aback by the story she presented, but did not frown at her as Neji did. Neji addressed her now in a clipped and civil tone. "This is nonsense. Let me speak with your father, girl. You disrespect him by taking credit for his craft."

Her eyes flashed in the dimming afternoon light, and the good will evaporated from her features. "You do not believe me," she stated coldly. "You suppose that I could be as heartless as to steal what is rightfully my father's gift of craft? You insult him, you insult me, and make demands that I have no cause to tolerate. Please leave my home." She returned to arranging the tools on the table, her long, calloused fingers tending gently as if she were coaxing flowers from the earth.

"So be it," Neji retorted sharply, unable to conjure a more fitting rejoinder in the face of such a hot-tempered woman, the likes of which he had never before seen. "Let us depart, Lee, to seek the Lady Tsunade." He sheathed the blade at his side and motioned to leave when a soft gasp sealed his feet to the ground.

"The Lady Tsunade? The healer, the herald of miracles?" Her voice trailed over him, like the hopeful song of a nightingale. "You are travelers who search for her?"

"Yes, Lady," responded Lee courteously—with, perhaps, too much courtesy, thought Neji, for she looked nothing like a lady. The vigor returned to her eyes. She leaned forward, lips pressed as if to hold back an entreaty of unimaginable weight. "Speak, Lady," Lee encouraged her with unexpected fondness. "We will hear you."

Her eyes, filled to the brim in grateful brown, found his. "I must ask, if you meet the Lady Tsunade, please send her here, to my father."

Neji heard the love in her selfless plea, but when he looked upon her, he remembered how he was slighted by her impertinent dismissal. "No." Hurt slashed across her eyes, and he felt a tug of remorse in the austerity of his reply, for he had also loved his father much. "We are not messengers."

"He's ill." She looked weaker than he'd ever seen her before, suddenly vulnerable, but unbending despite his cruelty.

"If you wish it so strongly, what stops you from doing your own bidding?" Turning on his heel, Neji left the bladesmith's daughter alone in the forge, and tried to ignore the guilt of arresting her hopes.

* * *

><p>"You were unfair," chided Lee. "She only asks for a simple favor."<p>

"What has she done to earn such a favor, I ask you?"

"She mended your father's blade."

Neji scoffed. "She lies. What kind of father would allow his daughter to work in a man's realm?"

Lee sighed, but spoke no more. Within the hour, they readied their horses, and took the town's main thoroughfare back to the outskirts of Riverborough. Lee was only too glad that they would embark to Waterborough before the night settled. If they took the correct path and encountered no more strange beasts, they would arrive at their destination before the next morning. Or, at least, Lee inferred so. He was no cartographer, and the map he had been sold resembled chicken scratches rather than any legible print.

"Is something the matter?" inquired Neji, arching a brow at the dumbfounded appearance of his companion.

"This map," objected Lee, "perhaps, it might do to purchase another. I confess I cannot read it well."

"Give it to me." Lee relinquished the map. Neji did not appear to have any more luck in deciphering its contents than he. "What is this runic script?" he grumbled, adjusting the ends as if it were a puzzle. They spent several long minutes this way.

The sound of horse hooves reached them, prompting them both to momentarily abandon their fruitless decoding. A beautiful brown stallion approached them. Walking by its side, one hand against its sinewy neck, was the bladesmith's daughter. Her other hand rested against the hilt of a blade, strapped to her waist. Her steps were light, but assured. Neither satin slippers nor dancing shoes adorned her feet; she wore sturdy boots for riding and walking.

Neji's curt but perplexed gaze bore down on her. Lee seemed startled by her presence, as if he were caught between greeting her or remaining silent. "What are the odds we are taking the same roads?" he commented brightly after nothing came from both parties.

"There are no odds. I followed you. I wish to join your quest," she announced. "Surely, you may need a guide."

Lee glanced over at Neji, but the latter's piercing gaze did not betray his thoughts. "A guide would be most helpful," remarked Lee. "However—"

"You must be jesting," Neji's response cut like knives through skin, "or, perhaps, you take me for a fool."

Against the glow of the sun, her eyes darkened like her expression. "A flouter, perhaps, but not a fool."

Lee braced himself to keep from wincing at their barbed banter.

Neji dismounted from his steed, striding up until he stood not an arm's length from her. "Then, you are the fool. The roads are dangerous, full of wicked things. Taking you with me would serve no purpose other than slowing and agitating my travels. I will not play your protector."

She thrust her chin out defiantly. "You suppose me weak, defenseless, but you are wrong. I will not slow you, for I know the woods to Waterborough better than most. My horse is able, and my sword always ready. As for the last, that I confess I cannot correct, but it seems to be more your problem than mine."

Neji bristled at her bold and direct confrontation. "A woman in travels brings misfortune. If you have so much faith in your abilities, prove that you will not."

"I did not take you as the kind to believe in shallow superstitions." She appeared to shimmer with rage every time he questioned her competence, certain he would have had no qualms had she requested to join them as a male, as a brother. "If you crave proof, fight me. If I can hold my own against you, then you will let me go and seek the Lady Tsunade for my father. If I cannot, you can send me home in disgrace."

Lee tried to shake his head to warn her. Hyuuga Neji was the best swordsman of the Hyuuga clan, best in his age in the entire capital. She had cast a losing bet. "It is best if you leave now, Lady—"

"I accept."

A charming simper played upon her face, as if he, not her, had made a grave mistake.

* * *

><p>They fought until dusk drew its curtain over the sky. At first, Neji had simply stood with his sword poised, fearless in the face of a woman's blade. The bladesmith's daughter circled him, daring him to strike. When it became clear that whatever chivalry he possessed did not allow him to draw first blood, she struck, fast and ferocious, without warning, like a soldier of practice. Neji parried, and their weapons connected with a spark. The alarm in his eyes questioned her heritage, her learning. She was only too glad that she caught him by surprise. With an agile twist, she spun behind him and made a swipe that he dodged with hitch in his breath.<p>

"You are, indeed, able," he said to her.

"But you still will not allow me to come with you."

"No."

She charged again, and this time he brought the sword upwards in an arc that nicked her belt. She drew back, eyes scrutinizing for any breaks in his defense. What she saw was an incredible stance that did not invite weakness. Still, she knew that, as with all warriors, he would have a blind spot. But as they danced, she found his eyesight to be impeccable, almost all-seeing. He anticipated her every move, and reacted as he saw fit.

Neji would be loath to remark on her extraordinary swordsmanship, but could not suppress the smirk of challenge that loped onto his lips. She fought well both near and far, high and low, tenable and adaptable to every maneuver of his. Soon, they were both drawing breath in labored strokes. She wiped the sheen of perspiration from her brow, as he adjusted the sword in his weary arm.

As the met eyes, they flew toward each other for a final time. The blades hissed in the air as they met power for power, the point of each blade pointed at the other's neck in what Lee knew could only be a draw.

"That is unbelievable!" burst Lee, disrupting the sudden, synchronized calm. "You truly have a gift!"

The bladesmith's daughter broke her gaze away from Neji with some reluctance, turning on Lee with flushed cheeks. "The product of hard work and practice, no more," she demurred humbly. She glanced back to Neji, and they both lowered their arms in tandem. "I believe we had a deal," she said, to which his expression hardened.

Lee remained quiet. He knew Neji hadn't fathomed this outcome. Lee had not known what he expected, but it certainly wasn't this.

"Yes, I do believe we had a deal," Neji conceded, although he sounded no happier for it. For, if nothing else, Hyuuga Neji was a man of his word. "You may come."

"Rock Lee," said the pugilist, taking the opportunity to introduce himself in light of her successful induction. He grinned at her, revealing rows of bright, white teeth. "It is an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance once more, Lady."

"The pleasure is mine, Lee." His warm welcome tugged a smile from her lips, where the other's terse reception did not. "And, please, call me Tenten."

_To be continued._

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Finally, here's Tenten! Any guesses on what the first "creature" might be? A longer chapter for a couple of reasons. First, it's about time I introduced my third central character. And second, I will likely be making another disappearing act. School has begun, and it promises to be brutal and unmerciful, so updates will be designated to the back burner. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading.


	4. Minstrel

**Chapter 4**

* * *

><p>The journey to Waterborough was marred by rain and silence. Lee's most valiant efforts to nurture some form of discourse between his wordless companions was hampered in no small part by Neji's unyielding behavior. Thus far, they had exchanged no words other than the compulsory: names, directions, and precious little else. They had offered no explanation, yet she had discerned it in the breed of their horses and the quality of their supplies. Tenten required nothing more to see that the pilgrimage was attended by men of privilege. Neji, in both demeanor and presence, betrayed himself as a son of some aristocracy. Lee had not borne the same advantage, for he appeared in all manners and means to be the son of a knight.<p>

True to her word, Tenten led them swiftly through the downpour directly to the gates of Waterborough. Their steeds sloshed miserably down the deserted streets. Neji peered through the thick slate of rain from beneath the cover of his hood, yet could discern nothing save for the quavering outlines of Tenten and Lee before him. They took reprieve in the first inn they came across, any and all punctiliousness having long been stripped from them just as the heat had been. Lee elected to secure rooms for their company at Tenten's insistence, for she was adamant about seeing to her stallion, as Neji was with his mare.

Lee stood in wait for them just inside the entrance of the inn, in his hand a single key. "I am afraid there was only one room left to claim."

"I suppose that is to be expected in this weather," said Tenten, her voice tired but lacking censure.

Neji's pinched expression betrayed his objection to the arrangement, though he voiced no outward protest. They were all impatient to be rid of their saturated cloaks and sodden boots. Exhausted, they hauled themselves to the second story room, only to be met with yet another inconvenience: a single bed. Certainly, it could accommodate them all, if rather uncomfortably. Neji and Lee found themselves glancing at Tenten with varying degrees of unease. She strode further into the room, catching the lamplight against the hilt of her blade as she drew it out to observe for water spotting. It was decorated with what appeared to be a wingless, serpentine creature with lacquered black eyes. Satisfied with its condition, she propped it against the bedside table. She surveyed the room approvingly, only stopping to raise a single brow at the two of them still standing at the door, soaking the floorboards with their waterlogged garments. "Sickness is swift to catch those that care not to outrun it," remarked Tenten.

"That is an adage I have not yet heard," replied Lee, taking care to keep his distance.

Tenten wiped absently at a water trail that had been left by a curl of damp hair. "One of my father's favorite proverbs."

Lee glanced at Neji, who still stood rather stiffly at the door.

"Is something the matter?"

"Are you not aware of the gross indecency of this predicament?" inquired Neji tactlessly. Tenten's eyes searched the room for what it was he spoke of. "I am speaking, of course, of your virtue." Lee winced at the sheer artlessness of Neji's response.

Tenten looked taken back, before her features grew tempestuous like the wind howling at their window. "I am perfectly capable of defending my virtue," she said fiercely.

"I am aware of your capabilities, yet the fact remains—"

"Unless you are insinuating your intentions to compromise my _virtue_," she bit out, cheeks coloring to reflect either embarrassment or agitation, "your asinine concerns are of no consequence to me."

"Rest assured; your virtue is the last thing on this earth I would think to compromise."

Lee looked positively affronted on her behalf, for Tenten's expression, other than her cheeks paling a single shade, remained checked. "Neji—" began Lee in protest.

"Please, Lee," interrupted Tenten firmly. "You need not involve yourself." Turning to Neji, she asked, "Are there any other grievances of yours I must address before I retire?"

Neji eyed her coolly. "No. Nothing that can be remedied."

"If that is settled, then," she replied, tone curt and clipped, "perhaps, we may now sleep without being subjected to any more of your unsubstantiated concerns."

Lee's eyes darted from one occupant to the next, shifting fitfully as he fought to find a way to end the argument. "We have a long day ahead of us," he attempted, "and the night is short. We are all weary from travel."

Tenten's eyes lost their sharpness when he spoke. She needed no further encouragement. She turned away, pulling off her damp outer tunic and her woolen socks. Without another word, she maneuvered herself to the end of the bed, and with her back turned to them, sought slumber.

Neji eyed her prone form with a measure of trepidation, but even he could not ignore the insistent pull of fatigue on his eyelids and the ache in his bones. Moments later, the three travelers were aligned rigidly on the bed. Forced to take the middle in order to thwart any further offenses, Lee hardly slept a wink that night.

* * *

><p>The previous night's downpour had proved to be a blessing in disguise. Inconvenienced by the deluge, Jiraiya had extended his sojourn until weather permitted passage into another township. They found the traveling minstrel entertaining a humble mass along the banks of a river. It was his voice that drew their notice, low and melodious, his words like precious beads of honey for a dying man's thirst. A lute sat perched upon his lap, but went unused, for his voice alone commanded their unwavering attention. He stood taller than any man, with broad shoulders and broad lips. Red trails, like tears, marked the length of his cheeks. Wrinkles marred his handsome face, yet did nothing to dim the merriment from his eyes.<p>

"_Yet, he bid them no heed, _

_His mind now lost to sweet words,_

_Knowledge, said the siren, _

_I shall give thee."_

They took their places behind the throng, intrigued by his craft.

"_But come, young soldier,_

_Into these welcome waters,_

_He dove, for temptation too great,_

_And his men did cry, for they knew he was lost." _

Applause came running on the heels of his tale, and cries for more broke like waves across his back. He bowed, before taking his seat once more. He spoke next of enchanted foxfire forests, before concluding with a brief reenactment of the very miracle that ascended the Lady Tsunade's name to eminence.

Evening came and found them to be the remaining three spectators to his performance. The bard regarded them sedately over a swig of his flask, until his gaze alighted on Tenten. His weariness appeared to leave him like a mantle in a blustering wind. "Fair Lady!" He approached her with all the fervor of an enamored gentleman. Having reached her, he made a grand gesture of genuflecting as he pressed his lips to her hand. Tenten blinked her alarm, having not anticipated his unwarranted behavior. "Your smile must be the envy of the sirens in the sea, for it is rapture to behold." He hardly spared the other two so much as a dismissive glance. "Please, exquisite Lady, to what do I owe the honor of your presence?"

Tenten carefully extracted her hand from the bard's grip. Neji noted her reaction to his crass overtures with a strange mixture of relief and approval. "You must be the legendary traveling sage, Jiraiya," she responded with a polite, but undesigning, smile.

"What an honor it is to hear my humble name spoken by such a sonorous creature. Alas, how can I not know the name of the one who hails me?"

"Please, Tenten is adequate." She parried his flattering advances as expertly as she parried blows.

"Tenten," he said with relish, "how may I be of service?"

"We seek tidings of the healer, the Lady Tsunade."

At the mention of the name, he straightened, and his aspect became far more controlled, collected. "Ah," he murmured, "I fear that I have little to offer you, Tenten."

Neji stepped forward, but Tenten's glance was enough to ward him off. "Please, I seek the healer in good faith. My father is ill. I," she hesitated, the worry in her eyes bleeding into her words, "am afraid that if she does not see him—"

Jiraiya placed a placating hand on her shoulder, expression softening in genuine compassion. "She is a powerful healer, but her knowledge came at a great personal price. She shuns the company of the ignorant. Forgive me, even I—who have traveled to the peak of Mount Myouboku and back—know not where she may be. But if there is anything I can offer to aid your quest, Tenten, it is this: seek misfortune, for wherever she goes, misfortune is sure to follow."

With that, the bard took up his lute and, playing a melancholy tune, vanished into the star-spangled night.

* * *

><p>They departed from Waterborough the same evening. The night was clear, the golden slice of the moon like a gleaming bow in the sky above them. They stopped for rest at Tenten's insistence, for she soon detected fatigue in the stilted lope of Neji and Lee's steeds. As they readied their encampment, Lee cast meaningful glances over at Neji, who had, during the course of their evening ride, regarded Tenten with nothing more than a brusque forbearance. They watched her over the blazing fire, as she stroked her stallion's mane and fed him grain from the satchel at her waist by the hand, as if he were still a young colt. She murmured something in the creature's ear—affectionately, Neji imagined. She turned abruptly, as if drawn by the power of his gaze. The strange glow that previously occupied her eyes dissipated, and she quickly averted her gaze.<p>

"You do her a disservice, Neji," spoke Lee, his voice pitched so that it would carry no further.

Neji was slighted by his reproach, though he endeavored not to betray it. Lee had earned his respect through years of sparring and allegiance. Neji knew Lee was nothing if not forthright and veracious. He found little to defend himself with. "And why shall I treat her differently, Lee?" he demanded.

"Has she not proven herself already?" responded Lee. "Do not mistake her for a simple Lady, Neji. She is a warrior, like you and I."

"She is a woman."

"She is also a woman."

* * *

><p>Neji found sleeping on the earth dreadfully impossible. For what felt to him like hours, he shifted fitfully, with only the dying embers as witness to his struggle. Resigned to yet another sleepless night, he righted himself with a grimace. He gazed into the glowing cinders, a hand absently tracing the edge of the bind around his forehead, turning over the words of the minstrel in his mind like riverbed stones. Neji glanced past the pile of smoldering wood, and saw Tenten's eyelids flicker open. It did not take long for her gaze to shed its drowsiness. When it had, Neji's eyes fell away, just as his hand fell from the tie of his headband. "Go back to sleep." His voice was weary, stripped of its arrogance.<p>

Tenten propped herself on her elbow. "You cannot sleep?"

"There is too much on my mind," he said dismissively. "You would not understand."

"Perhaps I would not," she admitted, "but ignorance is a poor judge."

Seeing that he could not end this conversation using customary methods, he turned away and lay back onto his thorny pallet. He did not wish to allay her ignorance. After all, what he most desired, she could not give him.

At daybreak, they consulted the map for indicators on their next destination. The bard's cryptic words had left them all mystified. "Misfortune" communicated anything from disease to death. It gave them little direction.

As Neji readied the horses, Lee consulted Tenten concerning the map. "Mount Myouboku? The traveling sage—"

Tenten shook her head. "But nothing of misfortune has ever been spoken of the place—only hardship and hermitage."

Lee traced their path along the map, finally resting his finger on a dot that marked the presence of another municipality. "Could we hope to find tidings in Goldborough?"

"Goldborough is where the venturesome go to court Lady Luck," explained Tenten. "Speculators from all across the land journey there for a good wager. I suppose we could, as well."

* * *

><p>They arrived in the rowdy, crowded avenues of Goldborough after days of riding. Betting houses and drinking taverns lined every street. Zealous cries poured forth from the betting houses, accompanied by either sensational yells of triumph or howls of bankruptcy. A pair of defeated gamblers emerged from a betting house to their immediate right, quarreling over what appeared to be their last rouleau of coins.<p>

"My Lady, to allow you to carry on would be an act of grievous irresponsibility!" exclaimed one of the quarrelers, pressing the roll of currency intractably against her bosom.

"Shizune," her companion barked sternly, voice unusually deep and ancient in spite of the youth in her unblemished visage. "Return it to me at once! Lady Luck is beholden—"

"Lady Luck is beholden to no one!" she replied, steely, as if she had a predisposition to be austere when it came to the topic in question.

"Five days, it has been, without reward! As it stands, my fortune will surely make a turn for the better this next round."

"Five days and still you have not been brought to your senses, My Lady! Misfortune follows you like a specter!"

Tenten halted where she stood, eyes fixing on the snappish, blonde figure. "Might that be her?" whispered Tenten breathlessly.

"Should we not be searching for a Lady twice her age?" replied Lee, bewildered.

Tenten frowned, resuming her walk in order to ensure that the two women did not escape her sight. "It has been purported that the Lady Tsunade can resist the weathering of seasons."

"A myth, certainly!" cried Lee incredulously.

Tenten looked to Neji, her expression earnest and entreating. "I must agree with Tenten," he spoke, startling them both. "It would not amaze me if she possessed such an ability." If the lore surrounding the mysterious healer was true, Neji was convinced his time as a banished nobleman would come to an end. There was nothing to lose by shadowing the woman, whose name had yet to be spoken by her companion.

Tenten's lips curved into a smile. "Shall we, then?"

"We shall," he replied briskly.

When the pair had, at last, lost what remained of their fortune, they bickered the entire way to their quarters on the outskirts of Goldborough. Neji found several of the topics they argued over utterly preposterous, to which Lee snorted derisively.

"What is it, Lee?" inquired Neji, unaccustomed to mockery.

"It is not unlike your altercations with Tenten, my friend."

"Hush!" cried Tenten distractedly, waving them into an alley. She peered up the avenue, at the placard hanging from the shop door. "I do believe it is her!"

Neji stepped closer to the corner, inadvertently pressing Tenten between the alley and himself. His gaze went easily over her, as she was good deal shorter. His breath was warm and even against the back of her neck. Tenten's felt her pulse quicken; she ascribed it stubbornly to the thrill of the pursuit. "A medicinal herb shop," confirmed Neji.

* * *

><p>The shop bell rang. "I apologize," began Shizune, glancing up from her post behind the counter where she separated dried Barberry stalks, "but we are closed."<p>

"We do not come seeking your herbs," confessed Neji. "We have come to speak with the Lady Tsunade."

Shizune's countenance grew pale in alarm. "I am afraid you have come to the wrong place, traveler. Such a name does not dwell beneath this roof."

"My father is gravely ill." Tenten stood forward. "I will pay a great deal to see that he has recovered."

Shizune's gaze softened in sympathy. Nevertheless, she shook her head. "I cannot fathom how you came to find her, but she will not see you."

"Perhaps, she will see me." Neji stripped the cloth from his forehead, revealing the accursed brand.

Tenten's lips parted in shock. She had wondered at the nature of his quest, but never had she felt it appropriate to broach the subject with him directly. She could tell instantly that it was no ordinary scar. His stoic gaze remained averted from hers, yet she descried shame in it.

Shizune was rendered momentarily speechless by the mark. She hastily placed the dried stalks into a small counter-top drawer, brushing her hands against the apron that she wore. "Wait here. I will see what I can do." She disappeared from the front of the shop.

"Neji," began Tenten, but was silenced before she could go further.

"You will not speak of this to anyone," he said sharply.

Shizune appeared at the doorway, her expression indecipherable. "Come," she said, "she will see you. Take care, travelers; she guarantees nothing."

_To be continued._

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I apologize for the delay. Half of this had been written for months, but the other half refused to materialize. I went through multiple drafts, grew impatient, sped up and down the timeline, etc. I had to fight tooth and nail through this awful writer's block, and I'm still not sure that I'm over it yet. But I think the appearance of Tsunade (_finally_) will spur me to get the next chapter completed at a faster pace. Thank you for being so patient with me. I don't usually resort to this, but feedback would a lovely motivator at this point.


	5. Healer

**Chapter 5**

o

**Healer**

* * *

><p>Shizune led them through the vestibule. "Touch nothing, or she will have your head," warned Shizune as Lee leant dangerously over an exotic brew of potion that sat upon a table, herbs scattered about to reflect its progress. He marveled at the green vapor that curled from it, inhaling a whiff the pungent liquid. Tenten and Neji shared looks of worry, before their gazes abruptly flew apart. Neji quickly pulled Lee away from the concoction, his expression scolding.<p>

"Essence of youth?" Lee proposed gleefully.

"A home remedy for warts," said Shizune, tone admonishing, which appeared to have little effect upon him. "Through here."

They were shown into a windowless office built of stone, illuminated by swathes of brilliant candlelight. The chamber reeked faintly of spirits. Tomes of unimaginable age and width lined the bookcases, their pages curled and yellow. An unblemished blonde woman looked up from her desk at their entry, eyes flicking dismissively over all but Neji. In the privacy of her own quarters, she wore a green healer's robe, creased in many places to show significant wear. "I see you have been cursed, Hyuuga," she remarked without ceremony.

Neji tensed from where he stood. He had not revealed his surname since his departure from the capital. Tenten regarded him with a look of muddled astonishment. The Hyuuga name was known throughout the whole of the Land of Fire, hailed as one among the oldest in lineage and pure noble blood. Neji wondered if, perhaps, this new knowledge would alter her opinion or treatment of him, but found he hoped it would not.

"Do not be misled by this façade, Hyuuga. I have seen much in my many years on this earth. I do not forget faces as handsome as yours. There was time when even the noble house of the Hyuuga required my services." She smiled grimly. "However, I suppose those times are behind us now."

"This curse—"

"First, I will address the girl," said Tsunade, her tone daring him to challenge her, which he wisely chose not to. "Your father is ill?"

"Yes, Lady, and to see the return of his health, I will pay any price."

Tsunade regarded Tenten with a dubious look. She documented the girl's commoner clothing and her burned and blistered hands. Neither did she miss the blade strapped to the girl's side, as constant as a lover's hand. "My price is steep, far steeper—I would think—than you can afford." She said this gently. She knew the unbearable pain of loss, twice over. She would not wish it upon anyone, but her years as a healer had jaded her. It took much to move her. She had brought many back from the brink of death, yet she had also lost many. The loved ones of those she had lost were never kind; blinded from the insufferable ache of loss, they would blame her, scorn her, shun her.

Tenten's eyes burned bright with a desperate fervor. "Any price."

"Would you blame me for your father's passing, if I said no?" Tenten looked stricken by the question. "My skills are not what they once were. You risk it all on a legend—a tall tale—of me. As my apprentice has told you, I can guarantee nothing." Tenten fell silent. It was cruel to deny her, but Tsunade despised pleas founded on false hopes and ignorance of consequences.

Finally, Tenten spoke. "You saved my mother. Childbirth—my delivery—would have taken her from this world, but you saved her. I know it is not a tall tale, because I am here before you, one of your many miracles, Lady Tsunade. I trust you to do whatever can still be done to help my father—and I would not blame you if it is truly his time."

"You have your mother's eyes," Tsunade murmured. Tsunade saw the hope welling in the young woman's eyes and quickly quelled it with a hard look. "I must remind you that I can promise you nothing, but," she conceded with a long breath, "I will see him."

Hope broke like a breathless dawn upon Tenten's face; she bowed her head, lips trembling. "You have my undying gratitude, Lady Tsunade."

Tsunade waved the gesture away before its sincerity softened the hardness of her features. "Shizune, take her to discuss the payment," she ordered before turning to address Tenten. "I will also require a list of symptoms, to the best of your ability. It will not come cheap."

"No, I do not expect so," replied Tenten, subdued as she left the room with Shizune, "but some things are worth the price." Neji caught pained look she cast at her blade, her hand roving over it—and he knew that she intended to give up everything for the cure.

"I will speak to the Hyuuga alone," announced Tsunade, directing her adamantine gaze upon the remaining occupant.

"Yes, Lady." Lee glanced once at Neji before he took his leave.

When Lee had vanished from view, Tsunade rose from her seat, circling the room contemplatively. "Tell me, Hyuuga, how is it a common girl—a bladesmith, I would wager—is in your company?"

"She would not take 'no' for an answer."

"Did you acquiesce so easily? Are you indebted to her in some way, Hyuuga?"

Neji thought of his father's sword. "I owe her nothing." Unbidden, images of the river creature and Tenten's first greeting flashed in his mind. "We crossed swords, and I gave her my word." He held his tongue against further details.

"You are impatient to discuss your curse, I expect." Tsunade signaled him to speak, and thus, Neji relayed to her all that had transpired between him and the wrathful fairy.

Tsunade examined the charmed bird with the shrewdness that befitted a healer who had seen and attended to incalculable curiosities in her lifetime. She refused to lay her hands upon it, but did not allow a single facet to remain uninspected. The bird's strange power was intoxicating, dangerously so. Even at her current proximity, she longed to hold it. "It appears that Sakura's conjecture was correct. Only another practitioner of the art can remove your curse."

"You mean to say that you cannot?" Neji's knuckles went white with strain as he fisted them at his sides, jaw tightening with anger. He had traveled this far to be told what he already knew. He had endured the loss of his title and his estate, the long nights of sleepless agony over his banishment, all to be told his efforts had been fruitless.

"Fury will cure nothing," Tsunade declared sternly, eyes narrowing. "Despite what you may have been led to believe, Hyuuga, I am and always have been but a humble healer. Never have I fooled with the arts."

"Is there nothing that can be done?" he implored her, eyes falling to the floor in defeat.

"That is not to say," interjected Tsunade gravely, "that I do not know of anyone who has." She paused, and seeing she had the Hyuuga's rapt attention, continued slowly and somberly. "There is a woman who possesses the gift of prophecy, but her magic is dark and dangerous. You must be prepared to sacrifice, to bargain, for she will want something in exchange for her unhallowed knowledge."

"Where will I find this seer?"

"You are not troubled by my warning?"

"No." Neji was not to be persuaded. He had journeyed far for a cure, and would continue to do so until he acquired it.

"So be it. Ophidian Forest. When you have reached the fork in the road, turn left. Do not expect a warm welcome. Stay your hand, Hyuuga," snapped Tsunade. "I do not wish for your money; I gave you naught but knowledge, of which I am not proud."

Neji reluctantly dropped his hand from the pouch of coin. "What payment shall I give you, then?"

"You need not pay me. I have led you into the jaws of a beast. I only ask that you do not perish in your foolish quest."

"I promise nothing." Neji stopped at the door. "You have my gratitude, Lady Tsunade." Neji swiftly bound the headband across his temple. As he rounded the corner, he halted, catching the remnants of a conversation between Tenten and Lee.

"How much do you think Blackjack will fetch on the market these days, Lee?" Tenten's merry lilt was forced, thin.

"You are selling him?" came Lee's response, aghast.

"I am selling all that I can, Lee," sighed Tenten. "Blackjack is—is—"

"Certainly not expendable," finished Lee. "Neither is your blade."

Neji knew himself to be unsuited for stealth, as well as an opponent of eavesdropping, yet he felt compelled to remain hidden in the shadow of the hall.

"Lee, my _father_ is not expendable." Tenten's veneer began to crack. Her features wavered between uncertainty and assurance. "Although, after this, I would not mind if you brought me more broken swords to mend," she admitted with a humorless chuckle. Neji's gaze flew to his repaired sword. "Although, perhaps, you should not bring me Neji's, since—" Tenten stopped abruptly, catching sight of him in the passage. Her eyes drifted cautiously to the headband, before she caught herself and looked him in the eyes. "Neji."

Lee straightened. "Neji, have you—has it been done?" he queried tentatively.

Neji's eyes flitted from Lee to Tenten, their brows knit in consternation. Without thought, he turned, retreating down the corridor through which he came, leaving them both addled by his silence. Neji reentered the chamber without invitation, his lips pressed in determination.

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Tsunade.

A sack of gold was placed upon her desk. "Will this be enough?"

"I have told you, Hyuuga, that no amount of gold can remove your curse."

"Will this be enough to settle her fees?"

Tsunade undid the string that secured the pouch and rapidly counted its contents. She withdrew several pieces, holding them against the candlelight that splayed across her desk. Seemingly satisfied, she closed the coins into the palm of her hand, pushing the rest toward him. "More than enough."

Neji was astounded that such a meager amount, a quantity he would have scoffed at, would be more than enough to treat Tenten's father. "Surely, this is pretense."

"For a mere fraction of what you carry with you in abundance is what she would have sold all her possessions to obtain. Ironic, is it not?" Tsunade flipped a coin, catching it against the surface of her palm. She grimaced, as if the face of the coin had displeased her. "She will be indebted to you."

"She will owe me nothing. What she means to do is save her father's life, as I would have done. It is only fitting that she should not need to sacrifice her own for his sake." He turned to leave, half-facing her. "You asked if I was indebted to her, before. She restored what little I have left of my father, without my proper gratitude. I will consider this donation a way to balance the score. You will not, of course, breathe a word of this to her."

Tsunade reclined in her seat thoughtfully as he swept from the room. "'Until the impossible is found,' was it?" mused Tsunade. "Perhaps, it will not be so impossible, after all."

* * *

><p>When Tsunade emerged from her chambers, none could be found in the shop's vicinity, save for daughter of the bladesmith. She stood, alone, her hand absently tracing the edge the hilt of her sword.<p>

"They have gone?" inquired Tsunade, breaking her from her reverie. Tenten started, turning to face the healer.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade," she replied when she had collected herself. "Lady Shizune excused herself to seek an ingredient that she requires for my father. Myrrh oil?"

"Ah, I see." She brightened considerably, reaching beneath the counter. "And your companions?"

"Gone," remarked Tenten with a measure of forced pleasantness, "to the Ophidian Forest." Though she hadn't expected much, she had been slighted by Neji's brusque departure. She had grown fond of Lee during their travels. She was certain she would never see them again. They were of a class far above and foreign to her. Nothing but chance had thrown them together.

"And you would not go with them?" Tsunade busied herself with a flagon of liquor, pouring herself a generous glass in light of the attendant's absence. Tenten watched, transfixed, as the healer tilted its contents into her mouth, setting the empty glass down for another drink.

"No," admitted Tenten haltingly, "I cannot. My business with them is finished, and soon I would have no horse with which to ride."

"Is that so?"

"Lady Shizune told me of your intentions to be off before nightfall," contributed Tenten mildly when the healer was well into her fifth glass.

"That is the intention." Tsunade's cheeks were colored like a vibrant autumn leaf.

"Lady Tsunade, is it wise to consume—"

"Rest assured, child; you may leave your father to me." She sounded remarkably lucid for a woman on the brink of utter inebriation. "But, I shall ask you, is it wise to abandon your companions?"

The question visibly upset her. "I came to you with but one purpose. I have no further desire to trouble him," Tenten blinked rapidly at her gaffe, "them. I am needed at home, besides."

"You are needed," objected Tsunade, "with him."

Tenten stepped back as if a flaming lash had licked her skin. "I beg your pardon?" Her eyes flitted to the flagon, which was, largely, drained. "Lady Tsunade, perhaps, you have had enough."

A smile blossomed upon her cherry-red lips. "More than enough," she croaked, reaching into her pocket and extracting a glittering gold coin, the likes of which were the envy of all but the upper ranks. "Oh," Tsunade caught the look of confusion on the girl's face, "did I fail to inform you? I have changed my mind. Your fees, they have been canceled." Tsunade raised a brow. "You do not seem delighted by this knowledge."

"I—I do not understand," mustered Tenten, pale like the coat of a winter hare. "You have changed your mind? You will not treat my father?"

Tsunade burst into raucous, unladylike laughter. "Of course, I will treat him! I will see to it that he is returned to full health!"

"But the cost—"

"Already paid, child."

"I am afraid I do not understand. I have not yet sold my—" Her eyes fell to the sword at her waist, then flickered back to the coin.

"My Lady!" Tsunade winced, pulling the flagon off the countertop as if she could erase it from existence with her unbalanced and exaggerated movements. Shizune was upon them like a crow to carrion. "What obscene indecency, and in front of our client, no less!"

Tsunade fisted the coin conveniently out of sight. "Ah, Shizune, you've returned with the myrrh oil, I trust?"

"You could not control your impulses for a single night?" demanded Shizune in exasperation.

"I have done nothing wrong," professed Tsunade. "But," she glanced at Tenten over Shizune's bustling form, "perhaps, I said too much. I was not to breathe a word."

Before Shizune could be bothered to ask the healer to elaborate, Tenten was already gone.

* * *

><p>Neji brought the blade up in time to deflect the one aimed at his throat. They had been set upon by highwaymen within hours of taking the road to Ophidian Forest. It would have been an effortless victory had they not been so grievously outnumbered. Lee had been forced off the narrow road, attempting to stave off the brigands from snatching their frightened steeds. Neji dealt with the larger number; they had targeted him from the beginning, having inferred his rank through the pedigree of his horse.<p>

He incapacitated another wave of pursuers, only to have another cluster take their place. His sword bit the shoulder of his primary assailant, eliciting an enraged roar. Neji scanned his surroundings. If he took the fight toward the ditch, he could—

"Neji, behind you!" Lee bellowed.

Neji whirled, too late. A highwayman, brandishing a crude dagger, flew towards him, eyes blazing in frenzied bloodlust. He twisted in time to avoid a fatal strike, but the dagger caught his side. He resisted the urge to press his hand against the gash to stop the bleeding. He simply did not have the time. The distraction had been enough; they successfully cornered him against the crag. He continued to parry their blows, but with decreasing speed and adeptness. Encouraged by his infirmity, they began to crowd closer. He slashed them down, one by one, but still, several remained—and his strength and concentration waned.

A strangled cry brought him back to this senses. The highwaymen fell were they stood, crumpling to the ground like rag dolls. Stunned, Neji jerked his gaze past the bodies collapsed at his feet, to a vision of the bladesmith's daughter, sword raised and chest heaving from exertion.

Breathless, she grinned at him. "Running into trouble so shortly after my absence, Neji?"

_To be continued._

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Thank you to those of you that left me those sweet reviews. Lovely motivators, they were, indeed! In fact, it was difficult to contain the sheer amount of _stuff_ I wanted to happen in this chapter. Tsunade was a _such_ show-stealer here. Now, any guesses for whom they are traveling to see next? Also, it is very likely I will be revealing the nature of the creature encountered in Chapter 3 in the next chapter. No one has guessed it right yet.

Thank you for reading. Feedback, as always, is greatly appreciated.


	6. Seer

**Chapter 6**

o

**Seer**

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><p>Tenten grimaced as she peeled apart the bloodstained shirt, taking care not to aggravate the wound. The gash was deeper than she had anticipated, though, to his credit, far from serious. Her eyes rose to meet his. He turned away from her, neck tendons taut beneath an expanse of alabaster skin. She attributed it to some mislaid sense of propriety.<p>

"I am fine," he informed her tersely, chagrined by her attentions.

"You are not fine," she retorted. "You will need to disrobe."

Neji began to rise rebelliously to his feet, not deigning to grace her outrageous demand with a response. She immediately forced him down, a severe look upon her aspect. "Be reasonable," reprimanded Tenten, collecting ointment, string, and a needle from her pack. "The wound will not close itself."

"You did not ask this of Lee," he objected.

Tenten sighed. It was as if he was being deliberately difficult. "Lee sustained a sprain of the wrist. It was not an injury that required disrobing."

He stared icily at her. "As a member of the gentry, I refuse to divest myself before a woman. It is lewd, indecent."

"Must you noblemen always be wed to decorum?" exclaimed Tenten exasperatedly. She plucked a small knife from the strap bound against her leg, setting it against the collar of his tunic with dangerous precision. "Your lot would surely bleed to death out of stubbornness, if only to retain your foolish pride."

Neji's entire body froze at the cool touch of metal against his skin. She split the ruined shirt effortlessly. Neji released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Tenten produced a strip of leather from the pocket of her pack, proffering it to him wordlessly. Neji's lips curled disdainfully. Teeth marks marred its surface—hers, indubitably. "The pain will be nothing to scowl upon," she explained, as if from experience. "You must bite on this as I sew it closed."

As she began the agonizing process of closing the wound, Neji was privately grateful for the leather. He would have surely bitten through his tongue otherwise. Her needlework, though it lacked the grace of a noblewoman's embroidery, was steadfast and sensible. As she worked, she was quiet with concentration. Neji's eyes caught the faint white scars on her hands, along her arms. He found himself curious as to whether she possessed any other scars, possibly hidden by her long, unflattering tunic. Neji caught his eyes wandering to the dip of her neck. Appalled, he quickly averted his gaze. It was unbelievably unsavory of him. He wondered if, perhaps, this was an effect of the curse—that he would become no better than a common brute.

Since the infliction of the curse, Neji had noticed a decline to mediocrity, a shame that was equal to the shame of bearing the abominable brand. In the capital, women of both high and low birth craved his notice. They would call upon him at the Hyuuga estate with gifts most lavish, hoping to entreat him to courtship. He tired of their attentions, and gave none the pleasure of his company. Yet, since the fairy's malediction, the bewitching merits of his well-bred looks seemed to whittle away as if with the wind. The healer Sakura had not grown weak at the knees by his visitation, though such a thing had escaped his notice at the time. Tenten, a simple peon, had been neither awed nor beguiled by his presence.

Moreover, he drew pride from his swordsmanship, for never in all his years had he been bested, not once by any member of his clan. That an ill-mannered woman such as herself could be on par with his talents was an affront.

"—Neji?" Neji returned his attention to the present. Tenten had just finished wiping her hands free of his blood. She looked at him in concern. Her fingers reached for his face, grazing his cheek, before he felt, keenly, the warmth of them against his lips. He felt a tug on his teeth and realized, after an irrational degree of disorientation, that she was taking the leather from his mouth. She turned over the strip, eyebrows raised. "Was it quite painful?"

"Not at all."

Her lips curled skeptically, but she did not reply.

"On whose invitation did you return?" he queried abruptly, voice devoid of any welcome.

Tenten continued dressing his wound. "I was not aware an invitation was required. If I recall, you and I had a deal."

"If I recall," responded Neji, "the deal concerned coming with us to seek the Lady Tsunade to heal your father. The deal has expired."

Tenten secured the bandages with, perhaps, more force than was necessary, brow tight with agitation. "You should not have done it."

Neji stood as soon as her hands left his torso. He snatched a fresh tunic from his supplies, suppressing a wince as he drew it over his head. "To what are you referring?"

"Do not pretend ignorance." Tenten rose, eyes fixed upon him shrewdly. "Was it borne of pity? Arrogance? Vanity, perhaps? For all the hours that I rode to find you, I wondered. How could you expect me to compete with such an endowment? How could you possibly expect me to repay you?"

Neji turned, comprehension writ upon his face. He had not counted on the possibility that the healer was an insufferable gossip. "I do not expect recompense," he said firmly, hoping to end the matter. He had never before bestowed such charity, and therefore, had never been subject to its results. Nevertheless, her reaction perplexed him. She appeared more vexed than grateful.

"I confess that my family does not possess much, but none can say we have ever been in want of honor," said Tenten with a fierce blaze in her eyes. "I honor my debts."

"There is no debt to honor."

"You have given me a cure for my father, and so I will journey with you until your cure is found; and pay the price, if I must. Then, I will consider my debt repaid, for I am no beggar."

"I do not wish for you to journey with us," he declared. He knew only he could pay the price of his curse. "You will not be needed."

"As I was not needed during your previous engagement," she retorted, gesturing indelicately to his wound.

He did not understand her obstinacy. It was foolish of her to remain with them, when she could simply leave it all behind her. Her father was to be well, and he would not burden her with its cost; from any standpoint, it was an arrangement most favorable. "You should go home, to your father."

"How could I?" she began indignantly. "How could I look my honorable father in the eye, knowing I have abandoned a debt I owe? On this matter, you shall not move me."

He saw, when he peered into her eyes, that he could not. "So be it. You choose peril and hardship over safety and familiarity," said Neji, shaking his head. "May you come not to regret it."

* * *

><p>Named for its serpentine shape, the Ophidian Forest encompassed the winding, dangerous stretch of dense foliage that sat on the border between the Land of Fire and the Wild Lands. The thick, impenetrable canopies choked its bowels from view. As they rode further down the path, sunlight filtered away to a murky twilight.<p>

Tenten tightened her grip on the reins uneasily. She had never before roamed this far west of Riverborough. She knew they sought the aid of a mysterious seer, whose magic would be capable of liberating Neji from his curse. Seeing that she would join them, Lee saw fit to confide in her the nature of their quest, as both a flag of warning and nod of kinship. Tenten was also to avoid the topic of his lineage, for if unwelcome ears were to catch the name, criminals would certainly come upon them. Tenten was glad of this, for she had grown accustomed to Neji's unembellished name, having had nothing else by which to call him for the days past.

They stopped at the fork in the road. The road on the right led to a mountain path, mottled with pools of effervescent sunlight and balmy wildflowers. The road on the left led further into the Ophidian Forest, a forsaken path that dissuaded all but the most indiscreet.

"We turn left," said Neji. "Be mindful of the forest."

Tenten needed no further warning. She drew her blade and followed after him. The trail was hewn with tall, scraping weeds that obscured the forest floor. The branches hung low, making horseback impractical. They continued on foot, navigating their steeds through the unmanageable undergrowth. For hours, they heard nothing but the sound of their steps crunching in tandem or the occasional startled snort of one of their horses.

Neji's eyesight guided them through the labyrinthine gloom. When he spied a dilapidated chalet at the crest of a wooded hill, he lifted his arm, signaling them to stop. "It is likely the seer already knows," he reasoned, turning, "that we are here. Be—" Neji's eyes swept the vicinity in alarm. "Lee!"

Lee emerged from behind a tree trunk, his breeches caught, it appeared, by the thorns of a shrub. "I am here, Neji," he reassured him. He freed himself from the skirmish by slicing at it with his sword. The three horses followed shortly after him. But the troubled look did not run from Neji's face.

Tenten was gone.

They cut rapidly through the way they came. "Tenten!" cried Lee. His shouts were not answered. Lee continued further down, calling her name as he went. Neji's lips were pressed thin as he scoured the area for signs of her. The brush alongside the road had been trampled, leaving imprints amongst the brambles. Neji went in pursuit of her footsteps. The steps did not go far, leading him into an open glade.

Tenten stood, chillingly calm and still, in the center of the clearing. Her back was turned to him. She was unarmed; her blade lay just out of her reach amongst the tall grass. Perplexed, Neji stepped forward, only to freeze when he caught sight of the writhing masses coiled around her legs, sealing her feet to the ground. Snakes, dozens of them, entrapped her in the heart of the glade. Their slitted eyes latched onto him, their forked tongues greeting him in sinister unison. Tenten dared not turn in his direction; he wondered if she was even aware of his presence. A serpent, much larger than the others, slithered from the bough of a nearby tree, dropping before her with fangs bared: the sign of an imminent strike. Tenten's pupils dilated in horror.

Neji lurched forward, hefting the blade from the ground. "Tenten!" It was strange to speak her name, but he did not dwell on this now.

She turned instantly, in time to catch the spinning arc of her sword cleaving the air. She caught it without thought, and with a single flourish brought it down, severing the neck of the great serpent. Its head landed with a dull thud at her feet, frightening the bed of snakes. In a symphony of conciliatory hisses, they freed her and retreated into the bleak shadows of the trees. She sank to one knee, averting her eyes from the fresh carcass beside her. Neji appeared in the corner of her vision. "Thank you," she whispered, a tremor in her relief-laden voice.

Even for a forest known for its native snake population, Neji found it difficult to believe that the attack had been mere coincidence. "It is rare for snakes to cluster in such numbers."

"It began with one. Then, they came in hordes." She closed her eyes, but quickly opened them again as the memory seared itself beneath her lids. "I fell behind and wandered off-course. It was my fault."

Neji felt the hot sting of guilt at her words. He had been too engrossed by the prospect of ridding himself of the brand that he had not detected her disappearance until nearly too late. The healer had warned him that some devilry was to befall them. His jaw tightened; he would not allow this oversight again. "No, I do not believe it was."

She gazed up at him, chestnut locks tumbling loose over one shoulder. The knot that held her hair back had come undone in the chaos, and she hadn't yet been bothered to secure it back into place. For a woman dressed in unadorned men's clothing, she appeared much more feminine with her hair unbound. It contrasted well against the fairness of her skin and the enhanced the tawny color of her eyes. "You believe it to be the work of the seer?"

Neji's eyes pulled away from her with a trace of reluctance, flicking them to the beheaded creature. "Do you?"

Tenten's eyes wandered gingerly to the corpse, her lips pulled into a frown of distaste. "Well, I suppose I certainly do now." Her eyes returned to Neji, more directly, to his outstretched hand. Perhaps, he was a gentleman after all. Struggling to suppress a playful smile, she took his hand. He pulled her effortlessly to her feet. For a moment, they stood frozen, their bodies pressed unnaturally close. He cleared his throat and Tenten quickly stepped back, mindful of his apparent discomfort. It was only too bad, she mused, that he did not seem to appreciate her smiles.

They regrouped with Lee at the path. Relief colored the young man's face as they came into view, for he feared he had lost them both. He leapt jubilantly to their side, the horses nickering in protest as he dragged them along. "Tenten, you are unharmed!"

Tenten smiled affectionately at him. "Yes, Lee, I am fine."

Neji found himself disgruntled by the gesture, for if any gratitude was to be due, it should, he thought, be due to him. "Stay close," instructed Neji gruffly, more to her than to Lee, as they retraced their steps to the edifice upon the hill. They climbed the weather-worn, stone steps to the chalet. A strange, iron-wrought knocker had been constructed upon the door. It resembled three spirals connected in triangular formation, undoubtedly the symbol of the seer.

Before he could announce himself, the door swung open inward, whining on its rusty hinges. "Welcome, travelers," a voice beckoned them, dark and raspy like a tendril of smoke. "Come. I have been expecting you." Wide-eyed, Lee looked to Neji, who seemed both unimpressed and unconvinced. He, of them all, was most discomfited by dealings with the arts.

They entered an enormous atrium. Aged, velvet curtains kept the room cool and dim, save for one brilliant shaft of sunlight that came through the far window, splitting the room in two: a side where they stood and a side where the seer sat watching them. Bleached, white bones sat in a golden basin beside her. Her lips curved menacingly beneath the shield of her hood, her tongue slipping between them as if to taste the tension in the room. The image reminded him of a snake. Tenten stiffened beside him.

"You are the prophetess of the Ophidian Forest, are you not?"

"Indeed. I, who possess the gift of sight, can see all that lies before you, for the right price." She steepled her fingers against her lips, the sleeves of her robe falling away to reveal twin snake emblems seared into the skin of her arms. "Lady Anko, at your service."

_To be continued._

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Can I just say that I have the loveliest readers of all time? I feel genuinely spoiled by all the praise. I've said this to some of you at some point, but I always worry that the next chapter might disappoint. This chapter, like its predecessor, ended up brimming over its initial outline. More to come, and soon. Also, I nearly forgot to add, that **Wroathe** did guess the seer's identity correctly. _Kudos_! An impressive guess. I must be transparent.

Thank you for reading. Feedback is greatly adored.


	7. Vengeance

**Chapter 7**

o

**Vengeance **

* * *

><p>Neji had grown wary of bargaining, and he certainly would not do so carelessly with the likes of a witch. "Prove your wisdom to me, and then we shall talk. I have no need of frauds."<p>

She pulled the hood of her cloak back, revealing violet tresses and eyes that were filled with eternities of knowledge. "You are right to be cautious, but my power is genuine. The knowledge of prophecy can only be granted by the whisper of the White Snake, into the ears of a worthy one." Her lips twisted in distress. "Alas, you will find no others with my gift, for the White Snake is no more."

"A fine tale," was Neji's pithy contribution.

Catching his cynical gaze, she plucked a bone from the basin beside her. "I suppose I shall have to humor you, or else risk losing your business. Speak; one question."

"Will I find the cure?"

Holding it tightly betwixt her fingers, Anko set the bone into the flame of a candle. A crack appeared, whereupon she held it up for them all to observe. She smiled cryptically, her answer a single, enigmatic word. "Yes."

"Yes, _but_?" urged Tenten, not to be fooled by the seer's insinuative undertone.

Anko's eyes landed upon her, causing Tenten some measure of unease. Her gaze was unwavering, piercing, and fraught with unspoken significance. "Yes, but he must make the correct choice."

"A festival trick," Neji scoffed. "You have proven nothing to me."

Anko slammed the bone into the table, shattering it to dust. Tenten and Lee stepped back; Neji, however, was not to be intimidated by her display of bellicosity. "Brazen words from one who has yet to prove himself! You wish to see more—so be it. My price will be steeper. You have been forewarned." Anko's eyes flicked over to Tenten. "Bring your sword to me and I will prophesize for you."

"My sword?" Tenten managed uncertainly.

Anko tilted her head, entertained by her bafflement. "I require an object you hold dear to clear the haze of all that is possible and illuminate what is most likely."

Tenten pulled her sword from its scabbard and set it across the seer's table. She had cleaned of blood before her arrival, but streaks of scarlet were still visible. Anko's expression darkened considerably as she ran her hand over the metal. Her finger skimmed a spot of blood against the sword's decorative carving, and her gaze darted from the crimson stain to Tenten, eyes flashing murderously. The seer finally closed her eyes, though Tenten remained on her guard. Suddenly, an oppressive heat filled the room, but Tenten alone felt chilled. An unintelligible whisper, urgent like the hiss of a snake, sounded at Tenten's temple. She struggled to contain a shudder of revulsion. Neji would regret his skepticism of the seer's tale, she thought, before Anko spoke.

"_A beautiful woman will seek to take two treasures from you, one of more value than the other,"_ the seer's voice rumbled with an unearthly undercurrent, _"and should she not succeed, she will take _you_ instead."_

Anko's eyes flew open. The chill left as swiftly as it came, but the ice in Anko's gaze did not. Tenten stood, dumbfounded, by her prediction. Without turning to address Neji, she said, "Now, your sword." Neji, whose doubt had been expunged by the demonstration, handed over his sword.

The same occurred with him, only Anko seemed indecisive as she spoke the prophecy. _"You will be offered two chances to remove the curse. If you take the first, you will not be given the second. If you take the second, you will be freed. The longer the voyage, the more difficult the choice will become."_

Neji roused himself from the icy clench of the unseen specter at his ear. "I will take the first. Your magic, surely, can remove it."

Anko returned his sword to him, her lips curling. "I welcome your praise. Do not be misled, however. Fairies are rare beings of pure, magical power—and their curses are a reflection of that power. It would take magic much more potent than mine to reverse what has been done to you. I have only the power to show you the way."

"Then, show me," commanded Neji.

"Shall I? Will you go? Even into the Wild Lands? Then, take the path least taken, along water. Abstain from the mountain path, for it will only take you back the way you came." Here, her simper faded. "Three days hence, you will happen upon a fortress. A powerful warlock resides within this fortress. He, alone, has the power to dissolve the curse upon you."

"The name of this warlock?" asked Neji, to which Anko's expression became cold with barely-suppressed loathing.

"Lord Orochimaru."

"If I were to seek the second, where must I go?"

Anko shook her head, returning his sword. "The second cannot be done without first having encountered the first. Both will take you to the Wild Lands." She surveyed their faces. Lee had visibly blanched, and Tenten's stance was rigid with apprehension. "Your voyage may be terminated now, if that is your wish. Only take the mountain path."

Neji turned to them, expression riddled with the beginnings of doubt. He knew it was much to ask of them. Even the brave shrank at the thought of crossing the Wild Lands, where beasts and magic abounded.

"I will go with you, Neji," said Lee with a nod of resolve.

"There should be no question of my answer." Tenten straightened. "My oath stands."

"Then, we will go," said Neji, strengthened by their support. "As for the payment—"

Anko seized the hilt of Tenten's blade, eyes filling with malice. "I have chosen my payment. I desire nothing from you; it is from her that I will take." Tenten gasped as the tip of her own blade was pointed at her heart.

Neji stepped between them, glowering at the seer. "She will not come to harm. You will take what I give or nothing at all."

"Step aside." Anko lifted an arm and Neji felt his movements restricted as if live snakes constrained his arms and legs. The longer he struggled, the more tightly the invisible binds held him. As they crushed the air out of his lungs, he ceased his attempts to be freed, for it appeared the seer would not have him interfere. Anko turned to Tenten, and for a moment both men feared she would use her magic upon her, but she only spoke. "You killed my beloved pet. You thought you could hide it from me? You thought I could not recognize the blood of my own upon this vile weapon? For that, you will pay the full price."

Confusion relented to understanding. "Your snakes attacked me—" protested Tenten.

"They would have left you well enough alone had you not wandered into their nest," she interjected harshly. To their surprise, she lowered the sword, tracing her fingers along the insignia carved into Tenten's hilt. "Foolish travelers, I take only what you do not realize you have. I see the past more clearly than I can see the future. Tell me," her voice sank to a low, bubbling murmur, "what this is."

"My family crest. The river dragon."

"Yes, the river dragon, your family's guardian spirit." Anko paused thoughtfully. "You appealed to your dragon spirit on the night when you were at your most hopeless. Am I wrong?"

Tenten inhaled sharply. "How could you know of that?" Her father had been fatigued for days, suffering from headaches and intermittent fevers. She and her mother had tried their best to care for him, but he would not rest. He kept insisting he would work—and work he had, until one evening, he collapsed at the anvil in a faint. Her mother had been witless with worry. When he awoke, he coughed blood, only small flecks, but it was enough. Tenten was stricken, but refused to let her sorrow show. She busied herself that day with finishing her father's work, attending to chores and errands. That night, after her mother had wept herself silently to sleep, Tenten knelt before the household shrine, eyes bright with unshed tears, beseeching the spirit to help her father regain his health; if it would only send some sign that he would recover, she would never ask anything of it again. The effigy of the twin-horned dragon, with its ageless eyes, remained on its pedestal, unmoved by her pleas. Tenten remembered swiping the tear tracks from her cheeks, chiding herself for her foolishness as she rose from bruised knees.

"And on that night," Anko turned, relishing the disconcerted expression on the young men's faces, "you were attacked by a mysterious creature."

Lee's eyes rounded, and he darted a glance at Neji. The creature's ancient voice rang clearly in Neji's head, his memory as sharp as the eyes of the creature he beheld: _Thank me, cursed one._

"And was it not the next day that the three of you met?"

"Yes," uttered Tenten, "but it was to mend his sword, which had been rent in two—"

"—that very night," finished Neji. "It led me—to you."

Tenten recalled Neji's arrival into her father's forge with vivid clarity, how she had taken his mention of the healer's name as a sign. She would never admit it to him, but it was that simple exchange that had compelled her to join them.

"Did you think it mere coincidence? You have been blessed with its protection." Tenten stared speechlessly at the sword, as Anko's voice unraveled the threads of their last days. The black, lacquered eyes upon her blade glittered knowingly. "It called rain to delay the bard's departure so that you may find him and, thus, the healer. Has it ever occurred to you to question _why_ your journey thus far has been unhampered by neither human nor beast?"

"That is not true," spoke Lee. "We were beset by thieves on our way to your forest."

Anko laughed. "And was the girl with you when this hardship arose?"

"No," answered Neji softly. "She was not."

"It would seek to defend you until the journey's end," mused Anko, staring into Tenten's disbelieving eyes. "I am no killer, but I will have my vengeance. You understand, don't you? You, too, would seek retribution if a loved one were harmed." Anko's fingers wrapped tightly about the hilt of the sword, obscuring the eyes of the dragon from them.

"No," Tenten murmured weakly.

The room blazed with raw power as the seer recited an incantation. "I will revoke the guardian's protection, now, when you need it most." A colorless vapor flowed out from the sword, dissipating in the air like mist beneath sunlight. When the last of it had trickled away, Anko turned the sword over in her hands. The eyes of the creature were dull, splendid no more. Vindicated, she tossed the weapon to its master. Tenten caught it, lips parting at the strange feebleness that fell over her like a pallid shroud.

Anko waved her hand, and Neji regained function of his limbs. "Leave now, before I take something else of yours." Anko's voice rang like a boom of thunder, threatening them to defy her. They dared not. As they escaped the room, her voiced hung after them like a wraith.

"Beware. The danger begins now."

* * *

><p>The sun beat down upon them as the trees of the Ophidian Forest yielded to a naked trail, coated in a fine layer of sand. Tenten lagged behind Neji and Lee, lost in thought. The minor weakness that she had left the seer's abode with bothered her little. It was the loss of her guardian's protection that troubled her. Lee was convinced that the seer's magic would be undone as soon as their perilous journey ended. Tenten allowed herself to be convinced, yet the fact remained that they were trekking into the Wild Lands of their own volition, unprotected.<p>

Hours beneath the blistering, cloudless sky forced them to take reprieve beneath the waving palms that lined the rocky shore. They and their horses were ferociously parched. As Lee tethered their horses, Tenten surveyed the shoreline. "I will need to go in search of freshwater." Neji's lips thinned, as if he would object, though he did not. She knew they would fail to recognize the markers leading to freshwater.

"Then, we will rest here and wait for your return," he said, albeit tersely.

Tenten smiled, tying the flasks to her waist. "I should not be long." Neji's gazed lingered upon her, as he wished to relay some message, but he turned away. Tenten called to Lee. "Lee, I am going in search of water!"

Lee looked up, startled, as he finished securing his steed. "Alone? Tenten, you cannot!"

Tenten frowned, more in silent reproof than in displeasure. "I will be fine, Lee! Do not overexert yourselves while I am away!" She risked a glance in Neji's direction as well.

Neji did not seem chagrined by her concern, which she took to be a sign of improved rapport. As she strode away, he opened his mouth, but when she stopped to hear him, his eyebrows creased uncertainly. "Tread carefully, Tenten."

"I will, Neji," she responded with quiet surprise.

* * *

><p>Lee smiled broadly. "The beach is quite pleasant!"<p>

Neji spared his companion a glance, his face darkening beneath the dappled patterns of leafy shadows against his skin. "It is best not to become attached, Lee. As soon as this," he gestured crudely to the sinister design upon his head, "is removed, we will return home and never speak of our travels again."

Lee pinched some sand between his fingers. "We have never been to a beach, Neji," he said, almost reproachfully.

"I detest this infernal weather." Neji's narrowed his eyes against the brilliant sunlight. He brought his fingers up suddenly to rub at his sun-beaten head. He was feeling alarmingly strange—muddled and distracted. When he looked to Lee to see if he, perhaps, suffered a similar reaction to the heat, he was met with Lee's disturbingly attentive dark-eyed gaze. "Lee?"

"Do—do you hear that, Neji?" whispered Lee tentatively, thick eyebrows drawn together.

"What, Lee? What do you hear?"

"A woman's voice."

"Tenten's?"

"No, I—" He broke off abruptly, his pupils dilating into wide black discs as he gazed out into the sea. Lee rose to his feet unsteadily. "Look there," he exclaimed breathlessly, "she's beautiful!"

Neji turned sharply, his hand clasped to his skull where the dull throb had evolved into an aggressive ache. At first glance, he saw nothing remarkable. But when he looked again at a tender voice's entreaty, he saw it. Beyond the rocks, the torso of a woman was visible above the water. Her eyes reflected all the hues of the sea and sky, shifting and sliding effortlessly between azure, cerulean and cobalt. Her hair shimmered like threads of golden sand, woven in a thick plait over her shoulder, covering a single breast. The other was exposed to them. Deep within his conscience, Neji was repulsed by such salacity, but her voice washed upon him like a wave and it slipped from his mind momentarily.

_Come, brave soldier. Sit with me. _

Lee stumbled carelessly across the sand as though a child lured by the promise of candy. Neji pressed both palms to his ears, determined to purge the woman's ethereal voice from his mind. "Lee!" he managed painfully from between grit teeth. He would surely be torn apart by the rocks! Lee paid him no heed, his boots but a stone's throw away from the edge of the surf. As if aware of his resistance, the magnificent beauty fixed her gaze upon Neji.

_Come, I will give thee knowledge. _

Neji hissed, powerless to escape the intoxicating presence of her voice.

_Come to me, dear one._ _You know I will not harm thee._

Neji's arms fell away to his sides, blinking rapidly. Her eyes were not blue, after all. They were darker, like honeyed oak. He distinctly remembered something else—

Neji stood. "Lee," he mustered weakly, his arm reaching out but catching nothing for he had already gone too far.

_Sit with me._

Neji blinked once more. Had he recalled incorrectly? Her hair had never been so light. It cascaded over her back, curls the color of copper and chestnut. Confused, but enticed beyond all reason, he took a step, then another.

She smiled prettily at him, cheeks dimpling in familiar sun-kissed skin. Neji did not notice the water lapping at his knees. He was undone.

_To be continued._

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><p><strong>AN:** These chapters just keep getting longer and longer! Busy times ahead so once again, so I cannot promise frequent updates from here on out. But, rest assured, I love this story and its readers too much to leave it alone for too long. Have any guesses for the identity of the latest creature? Let me know—and if you don't, I'd love hearing from you anyway.

Thank you for reading. Feedback is greatly appreciated.


	8. Siren

**Chapter 8**

o

**Siren**

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><p>Tenten knelt beside the muddy bank, drinking greedily of the water from the freshwater creek. Thirst slaked, she swiped the residual saltiness from her upper lip and dipped the flasks into the rush of cool water, one by one. As she traveled back in the direction of the sea, she made certain to mark a path to lead them back this way with their horses.<p>

Surely, they were racked with thirst by now. Tenten quickened her pace, the sun as her compass. When she returned to the campsite, she found it to be abandoned. The horses snorted quietly at her return, and all their belongings lay where she had last left them. Neji and Lee, however, were gone. Tenten tempered her panic. "Lee?" she shouted, turning on her heel as she scanned the horizon. "Neji?"

Something caught her eye as her gaze passed over the glittering water. She spotted a silhouette in the distance—a head bobbing out of the water—as it drew closer and closer to the jagged rocks out at sea, where a dangerous rip current split the water like avaricious claws. Horrorstruck, Tenten sprinted toward the shore, shedding her boots. She reached Lee far before he could split himself against the jagged outcroppings. She hooked her arm around him, buoying him up. To her utter confusion, he did not respond to her at all. His eyes were vacant, staring at the fixed point behind her. "Lee, stop this!" The second she began to draw him away from the rocks, Lee thrashed violently, releasing a howl of anguish as if she had inflicted upon him a grievous wound. Tenten was momentarily jarred as his powerful limbs struck out, not enough to injure but certainly enough to bruise.

_Do not resist, handsome warrior. Sit with me._

Tenten winced as a beguiling voice was foisted upon her ears, intrusive and impossible to ignore. Tenten tightened her grip on Lee, seeking to identify the source of the voice. Flinging her bangs out of her face, she caught sight of a flash of sapphire-colored scales and the womanly torso to which it belonged. A look of terrible understanding bled into her visage. It was a siren, creatures of the sea that drew unsuspecting sailors from their ships in order to wreck their vessels and take their lives. No man could resist the power of their voice. It was purported that some even cast illusions upon the most resilient, baiting them with a vision of their deepest desires. She'd thought it merely a bard's tale. She realized now that she had been solely mistaken.

As Tenten was a woman and thereby unaffected by the siren's artifices, the creature soon realized her mistake. Her radiant gaze soon became frigid and hostile like a storm rolling turbulently over tranquil waters. Before the siren had another chance to charm her quarry, Tenten yanked Lee back to shore despite the latter's slurred refusals. Panting from effort, she heaved him onto the sand, dragging him up the slope. She blocked the siren's crooning from her mind as she tore rope from her pack, binding Lee to a nearby crag with dogged steadfastness. "Lee," she said as soon as he was restrained, "_Lee_." She took him by the chin, forcing him to concentrate on her. "Where is Neji?" Panic began to creep into her voice. Lee did not appear to hear her, or if he had, did not see fit to answer. He was still suffering from the vestiges of the siren's spell, dazed and purposeless. "Lee!" Tenten cried, voice cracking unexpectedly out of desperation. "Neji! Where is he?" Lee's skull lolled against the rock, his eyes shut and his brows pinched as if her clamoring caused him pain. "Lee, please," whispered Tenten, "you must tell me."

His lids flew open—and for a single moment, he was lucid. "Neji is—he is in the sea."

Tenten twisted on her heel, eyes wide. The siren's purr was dim in her mind, but triumphant. Amongst the waves, she saw him. She felt her blood go cold. "Neji!" She tore down the shore, her heart and lungs aflame. "_NEJI!_"

She dove into the water, ignoring her body's pangs of protest. She had exerted too much energy in recovering Lee from the siren's hold. Tenten refused to succumb to exhaustion as she entered the rip current. She peered over the choppy waters, despairing the distance between them. "Neji!" she called breathlessly. He continued on toward his demise. Tenten allowed the water to drag her dangerously toward the rocks. It became more and more difficult for her to keep her head above water here, where the winds battered the sea. When she was within arm's length, she flung her arm out, hoping for purchase. Her water-slicked fingers slipped against his tunic. Tenten gasped for breath, vision swimming in and out of focus, the churning waves pressing the air from her lungs. Her fingers scrambled blindly until she caught him by the hand. She wrenched him back with all of her remaining strength. She felt his body collide with hers. She had him now. Only, she no longer knew if she had the ability to bring them both safely to land. Neji did not react against her as severely as Lee had, yet it felt as if he did. Neji was a muscular man beneath his regalia, and clearly a more powerful swimmer than Lee. His attempts to dispatch her were less haphazard, more deliberate. She clung to him fiercely. She no longer knew if the tracks against her face were tears of frustration or hopelessness. "Neji, please," she pleaded, "please, do not fight with me." She knew her pleas were worthless. She'd likely had more success with Lee.

At the sound of her voice, his body relaxed. Tenten looked at him speechlessly, but did not have the time to question it. A swell crashed over them both, plunging her under, with Neji in her arms. Tenten reflexively inhaled a mouthful of water, disoriented, not knowing up from down. Seconds later, they broke the surface. Tenten knew not where the stamina for such a feat came from. She was vaguely aware of an arm around her waist, propping her, as air filled her lungs once more. She heaved grateful gulps of air, sweeping her hair away from her eyes. Tenten checked Neji's condition; he appeared dazed, but thankfully docile. She pulled his arm across her neck and tugged him diagonally so they would not be laboring helplessly against the rip current. A screech in the distance signaled the siren's unwilling surrender. The elegant voice in her head grew poisonous before it disappeared altogether.

She sank to her knees in the sand, collapsing them both face-first on the beach unceremoniously. Coughing and spluttering, she rose shakily on her arms, turning Neji's prone form over. White sand laid trails against his pale skin, dotting paths in his dark hair like stars in the night sky. Tenten pressed her ear to his chest, relieved to find his heartbeat strong and robust. His pearl-colored eyes cracked open. The high noon sun framed her face. Her hair was wild and her eyes filled with worry. "Tenten," he rasped. She broke into wide, cheek-dimpling smile. A brief look of confusion crossed his face. He brought a hand to her face, gently brushing away the curls that clung to her cheek. Tenten froze at the contact. His thumb grazed tenderly down her jaw before falling away to the sand. Whatever the misunderstanding, it seemed to have passed. "You've returned," he said as the clarity returned to his eyes.

"I—I have," she stammered. "Are you still," she licked her lips nervously, "enchanted or—do you know who—"

"TENTEN!" bellowed Lee tearfully. "NEJI!" When she looked up, Lee was sagging against the ropes, disconsolate. "You are safe! Curse my indiscretion!" Manly tears welled up over his eyelashes, spilling down his face. "I could have lost you both!"

With Tenten's assistance, Neji sat up. Neji was visibly unsteady on his feet, allowing himself to lean against Tenten before he realized his faux pas and broke away as if his skin had caught fire. "Have you regained your senses, Lee?" snapped Neji, for he last recalled pursuing Lee in order to prevent some fit of lunacy.

"Yes, Neji. I witnessed it all with the utmost sobriety, and would I have suffered watching the waters take you both, it would have been what I deserve."

"Nonsense, Lee," Tenten interjected with a reproachful look. "You had no defense for such entrancement." Her eyes flickered to Neji. "And neither did Neji." Neji averted his eyes, as if shamed.

"How were you able to subvert that creature's sonorous entrapment, Tenten?" queried Lee.

Tenten's lips lifted ruefully. "Because I am a woman, Lee."

"Indeed!" exclaimed Lee.

"Indeed," echoed Neji.

* * *

><p>As their steeds refreshed themselves by the creek, the three of them hung their waterlogged clothes to dry. Tenten shifted from foot to foot uneasily, her legs bare without her customary breeches. She had kept her tunic on, for the thin material dried quickly and she would have felt appallingly naked without it. Tenten stood stiffly behind Blackjack beneath the cover of a tree, willing the merciless sun to dry her breeches faster.<p>

Neji's upper half soon appeared on the other side of her horse. He thrust a bundle at her. Startled, she caught it against her bosom, letting it unfurl down her front. Tenten blinked as she held up a pair of Neji's spare trousers.

He looked at her severely. "You are both indecent and uncomfortable." His tone, however, lacked its usual edge. Both Neji and Lee had replaced their sodden outfits with the fresh livery they had brought with them. Tenten possessed no such fortune. Additional clothes were a luxury, and she had not the affluence to spend on such things.

"I couldn't possibly—" she began.

"You cannot possibly stand another moment unclothed," he interrupted, his gaze perhaps too vigorously trained on her eyes, as though he feared they would wander elsewhere. Before she could acquiesce, he turned and left her. Tenten tried not to emerge too gingerly from the protection of Blackjack's frame. His trousers far too large for her, but what disconcerted her most was the fine material from which it was woven. She did not possess a shred of such silken material. She doubted she ever would. Tenten was not one for reticence, but she had never before been in the company of men in anything less than proper attire. Though she habitually wore breeches meant for men, it was no less unthinkable to be wearing the clothes of an unrelated male. It reeked of an intimacy far more serious than she cared to contemplate, though if she were honest with herself, she had flirted with the thought more than once.

Lee noticed her discomfort immediately—namely, in the flush of color in her cheeks. "It is certainly not like him to be so gracious," remarked Lee, hoping to assuage her embarrassment.

"This is, of course, only a temporary arrangement," Tenten responded, clearing her throat.

"Of course," Lee replied with a touch of good humor, as if he were well-aware she was only trying to convince herself.

"Tell me," began Tenten quietly, "what was it like?"

Lee glanced at her before his gaze faltered in guilt-ridden shame. "You are speaking, I gather, of the siren."

Tenten bit her lip. Perhaps, it had been indelicate to ask, yet it would have been insincere to say she had not been in the least bit curious. Few lived to tell the tale of an encounter with a siren. It was told that the experience, the sheer, unadulterated temptation, was too incredible for words. They promised paradise, knowledge, and it was not known if they granted such things before they stole their victims' lives.

"She was the most rapturous creature I have ever seen," Lee admitted, "with hair like the sun and eyes like the ocean. Her voice, Tenten," Lee's voice wavered as the memories overtook him, "it was divine." He paused with a shudder, the image so potent that even still he was filled once more with a shadow of his yearning. "She asked if I would sit with her—you must understand, it was not a request I could bring myself to decline. I felt, that if I could reach her, I would be the happiest man alive." Lee looked to her, before cradling his stricken face in his hands. "Then, you came. Your voice, please forgive me, but hearing your voice filled me with agony. It felt as if you were a monster, ripping me from an angel's embrace." Tenten swallowed thickly; it was painful to watch him relay his torture, however unintentional, to her. "Do not apologize for this, Tenten. You saved my life."

* * *

><p>Tenten shifted fitfully beneath his scrutiny, trying to affect an indifferent—or at the very least, an annoyed—expression as Neji's white-hot gaze traveled coolly to his trousers on her person.<p>

"You do not need to thank me," he said dryly, turning back to the creek to refill his canteen.

Tenten's brow crinkled, her frown lost on him as he had his back to her. "I did not come to thank you," she retorted, not unkindly, "though I confess I am grateful for the loan." She pressed her empty flask to her lips, leaning upon the bark of a nearby tree as she waited. As he straightened from his crouch, she asked, "What did you see, Neji?" He froze. Tenten continued, "Lee tells me that you were not bewitched when he last saw you. Yet, when I arrived, you were already—quite far."

For a long time, Neji did not speak. He capped his canteen, his eyes piercing hers, though his expression remained guarded. "She promised me knowledge."

Tenten leaned forward, betraying her curiosity. "What sort of knowledge?"

Neji shook his head. "I do not know, only that it was knowledge. Perhaps, I had hoped she would tell me something of the cure."

"Never have I seen a more glorious or terrifying creature than a siren," said Tenten, placing the lip of her flask against the flow of the creek. Tenten paused, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, oblivious to the way Neji's eyes followed it. "I was afraid we would both be lost to the currents."

"We were not."

"Only because you heeded me and did not fight to get away." Tenten's grip on the canteen went lax as she half-turned to face him. "You heeded me," she reiterated pensively, "when Lee would not."

Neji did not understand the strange look upon her face. "That was terribly foolish of him."

"You were not bothered by my voice, even as the siren spoke to you?"

Neji vaguely recalled the tantalizing, aggressive draw of the siren's voice, but it was not her voice that most impressed him in his memory. He did not recall feeling tormented by Tenten's voice, only calmed, tethered, as if he had been following her voice all along and did not recognize it until too late. In the haze of his drugged state, Neji found it difficult to make sense of what had transpired. "I cannot recall much, but no, I do not believe so."

"You cannot?" Tenten's brow furrowed. Lee's recollection had been rather distinct, by contrast. The inconsistency could only be explained by one thing: Neji had been the victim of an illusion where Lee was not. The siren's deception had likely addled his senses, distorting the siren's true form in favor of what he most wished to see. "Was the siren quite beautiful, then?"

Neji frowned, and for a moment Tenten thought of retracting her question. Frankly, Neji had retained little from the encounter. "I was drawn to her by wicked magic, and nothing more," he informed her, "but, yes, I suppose it can be said that she was."

"I see," murmured Tenten, oddly upset by his answer. Beauty was not a term he used loosely. She stood, plucking the partially dried breeches off the branch as she turned to depart.

"Her eyes were brown."

Tenten stopped, her eyes darting to meet his. He was not looking at her, however. His forehead was creased in thought, as if even such a detail had nearly eluded him.

"That is all I remember."

Tenten's lips parted, but she pressed them together and did not speak. Brown, not blue. She trudged onward, her eyes rising skyward in contemplation. Tenten found herself wondering if, perhaps, Neji fancied a lady from the capital—a brown-eyed lady.

But she soon abandoned this train of thought, for she began to suffer a most peculiar ache.

_To be continued._

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><p><strong>AN:** If anyone thought of the bawdy minstrel even once as they read this chapter, _kudos_. And if anyone thought Tenten's prophecy would come to pass in this chapter, better luck next time. I've still got some tricks up my sleeve. Next time, Orochimaru's fortress. Those that correctly identified the siren's identity: **KNO**, **EatEmUp**, and **donotstalkme**. Thank you for humoring my penchant for guessing games! That said, I've been on the receiving end of some phenomenal reviews recently, for this and other works. You guys simply blow me away, and I can't thank you enough. I don't know what I do to deserve you.

Thank you for reading. Feedback is greatly appreciated.


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